Boondock Saints III
by gar-a-ash
Summary: Eight months after being captured and sent to prison, the McManus brothers have escaped. However, their return is ruined as their first target gets the better of them, and Connor chooses to work with her. But just who is Animal, and what exactly is she?
1. Chapter 1

_The shadow of the ally held a predator, though the hunted didn't know it. The two were mistaken in the fact that they were the hunters. This night, Animal, as she had come to be called, would remind them that just because they held guns did not make them invulnerable. This night, Animal would bring them down like the deer they were._

_Curious blue eyes watched their every move, sharp mind taking in every detail. The eyes were unusual, and had become a key point in recognizing the predator. The one survivor of her attacks couldn't remember anything but her eyes, but that was enough. Her eyes were the key to her terror._

_When the sky was covered with clouds, or the lights were dim, they were an unremarkable gray, a shade that usually signified blindness. But when the sky was bright, or night had fallen, her eyes faded from a bright aquamarine at the edge to a deep sapphire in the center. A ring of silver, vivid and shining with reflected light, marked her different from everyone else. It circled through the blue, a ring around the pupil, a tag for identifying her. A duller silver veined through the blue as well, but the ring was what made everyone fear._

_These blue eyes flicked between the prey, noting everything. The tattooed hands, and the slight limp the taller walked with, suggesting an old wound. They both favored their right legs, just barely enough to notice, which signified they were right-handed. An attack from the left would be best, when she finally laid her trap._

_She knew why they had come. The birds whispered of their intent. They had come to hunt her. But they had made the mistake of leaving their home territory and entering hers. A simple mistake, but a deadly one. They thought cities were the same. However, it was Animal that knew every twist and turn in these back allies. Not they. And it was Animal that would be the victor tonight._

_The slightly taller one said her name, the one the television reporters had given her. Animal listened for a brief moment, then slid away, unseen. It was time to spring the trap._

"Are you sure we're in the right area?" a voice with an Irish lilt asked, and his companion turned and looked at him.

"You were the one that said we should get her, and now you want to stop? Will ya' make up your fucking mind?"

"Oi, I didn't say I wanted to stop. I was just wondering if we were in the right fucking area. Besides, you said that killing the 'Animal of Albany' would be the perfect way to announce our return."

"We escape from prison, and we don't even go to our own city. We should have fucking gone after her later. After we fucking killed those Italian bastards."

"Well, we're here now, and we might as well fucking finish what we started. Now come on, let's get moving."

"At least we don't have a fucking rope to carry with us…", the shorter one muttered.

"Will you drop the fucking rope already? Besides, didn't we use it?"

The smaller of the two brothers remained quiet, and Connor turned away in irritation. The 'Saints of Boston' had finally escaped after eight months in hell, and the bond between them had suffered. They were still close, but not as close as they used to be.

The Saints. The ones that had hunted down the villains in the famed city of Boston. They had brought down people the police could only dream of getting, but casualties had been suffered. Rocco had been the first. A victim of his own 'family', the Yakavettas. Then Romeo. He wasn't dead, but he might as well have been. They hadn't seen him since that last fated battle where their father had fallen. Now it was just the two again, as it had begun, and they were hunting down a mass-murderer from Albany, New York.

Animal. The name fit her. She 'hunted' her victims, anyone that had the misfortune of crossing her path, and devoured them. Not the entire body, but enough to be gruesome. Her one virtue was that she had never harmed children, as the one survivor had been. And he had only been able to recall her eyes. "_The eyes of a moonlight shadow_", the child had said, but when asked, he couldn't explain what that meant.

According to the news, she had originated in a small northern town. Not all the details were known, but she had attacked a little-known drug family, and brutally murdered them all. Then she had vanished. She struck again and again over the years, but left no evidence other than bodies. She materialized from nothing, and vanished again. That was how she had earned the name Ghost up north.

Then she had moved south to larger cities, and it was in them that she developed the habit of eating her prey. That was how she had earned the name Animal, because, like a starving wolf, she hunted down everything in sight. And like a mad one, she attacked her own kind.

The sudden rattling of a kicked bottle drew their attention, and they looked just in time to see a fleeting shadow. Their target was on the move.

In near-tandem, as true synchronicity is the stuff of fable, they pursued silently, intently. They rushed through the dark allies and abandoned streets, catching mere glimpses of their prey: a shadow, a flash of dark hair, the sound of rapid panting. They chased her for nearly a mile through the twisting streets before she suddenly vanished in a dead-end alleyway.

"Where the fuck did she go?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?"

"You were the one following her!"

"And what were you doing!"

"Following you!"

Through this exchange, they had been slowly rotating, looking for the object of their interest. But in the dead-end ally, there was nowhere for her to go. It was like she had vanished, like her previous identity as the Ghost.

The brothers turned to face each other, and Murphy had enough time to register a sudden widening of his brother's eyes before a silent weight crashed into his left side.

He shouted in surprise and pain as a short but thick knife blade dived deep into his side, then was yanked out again as the weight leaped off him, shoving itself toward his brother. Before it leaped, Murphy glanced up in time to see startling blue eyes, a ring of silver flashing through them, accompanied by a delighted grin.

"_The eyes of a moonlight shadow._" The words of the boy ran through his mind as he fell to his knees, and the Animal of Albany leaped toward his brother.

"Connor!" he screamed, but the Animal was already on him, clinging to his back and burying her teeth in the flesh of his neck. Connor struggled to wrestle the muzzle of his gun between them, but she snarled and stabbed him with a deceptive-looking knife, hitting into his right shoulder. He screamed and she released him, only to crouch at his feet while he struggled to move his right arm, the one holding the weapon.

Before he could move, however, she spun and lashed a kick at his weak knee, the one he had injured jumping off a five-story building to save his brother. There was a dull _crack_ as it dislocated, and Connor fell to the ground, moaning.

The Animal turned swiftly to the fallen Murphy, who had struggled to his feet again and was aiming the pistol at her. She growled deeply and leaped again, wringing his gun arm behind him as she spun around to cling to his back, teeth within easy reach of his throat, perched on him like a giant cat.

He froze, struggling to hold her weight with blood pouring down his side. He heard a thick rumbling, and realized it was her imitating a purr, sniffing at his neck.

"_Silly hunters_", she murmured in his ear, and he couldn't repress a shiver. Something hot and slimy dragged up his neck, and it took him a moment to realize it was her tongue, tracing the line in his neck that carried life, traces of his brother's blood still mixed with her saliva.

She hissed suddenly and opened her mouth wide, preparing to tear out his throat, but gave a short scream as something collided with her head, knocking her down off of him and away. He fell to his knees, and looked up to see his brother there, holding the large rock he had used to save his brother.

"Murphy, are you alright?" Connor asked in a thin voice, and he nodded, breathless. Connor pulled out his other gun into his left hand, as sure as the right, and aimed at the Animal, who lay crouched and hissing as she held her head, glaring up at them.

The swiftness of the attack had surprised them, as well as they direction it had come from. Later, as they ran through the fight, they realized that she had led them on a chase through the streets, luring them into a place of her choosing. When they had failed to see her, it was because she was hiding in a small crack in a wall deeply hidden by shadows. She had been waiting for one of them to turn their backs on her, and she had struck, like the Animal she was named for.

But now, she crouched before them, defiant but recognizing her death as she stared up the muzzle of a silenced pistol.

_Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! She had noticed it the moment she had attacked them, but by then it was too late to pull away from her attack. She hadn't realized it before, but they smelled too similar to be anything else. She hadn't realized they were brothers._

_She also had not counted on the bond of loyalty between them. The blow she had placed on the taller one's weak knee should have kept him down until she killed the shorter one, but she hadn't realized how devoted they were to each other. She hadn't realized the extent that they would protect each other._

_A mistake, a small miscalculation. That was all it was. But now she would pay the dearest price._

_Silently, already beginning a death-prayer in her mind, she waited for the taller one to pull the trigger._

The two brothers looked down at the snarling creature before them, angry. This plan had gone so wrong. It was as if fate had conspired this, or some other higher power, to remind them that they had to be cautious. But they had forgotten, and would carry the new scars as a reminder.

"Why did you trap us like that?" Connor demanded, pulling back the hammer of the pistol. Animal only looked up at them, still snarling softly, though Murphy could see the beginnings of a smile working its way onto her face.

"Talk! I know you can!" Murphy shouted, frustrated. He could still feel her tongue crawling up his neck like some disgusting worm.

"_You come on my territory, no? You come to hunt the Hunter, did you not? Did you think that the Animal would let you get away with this insolence?"_

The voice, raw and raspy from disuse, startled them. They honestly had not expected her to answer them. But she had created new questions that needed to be answered.

"How did you know we were here? Who told you we were coming?" Murphy pulled back the hammer of his own gun as well, shaking with a deep fear. Her voice, combined with her eyes- _the eyes of a moonlight shadow-_ reacted to an old fear, a fear of the things that dwelled in the dark. A quick glance at his brother showed the same fear working its way up as well.

A choking laugh escaped her throat, and she shook with mirth.

"_Always think that I must be told. They always do. But I knew of your arrival the instant you stepped into my city. The birds, rats, cats, and coyotes all spoke of you. 'New hunters', they said. So the Animal went to watch these new hunters, to see if they would be a threat to the Animal. Only she found that they had come to hunt the Hunter. So she decided to hunt them first. Could not let herself get killed, could she?"_

She chuckled, eyes half-shut, but still watching them, cautious. She was careful. And insane.

"What are you talking about? The _animals_ told you?"

"_Not the way you think. They don't speak in words. They speak in smells, looks, posture. They carried caution on them. They recognize fellow predators, and they knew to watch you. You were new. So the Animal listened to them, and watched you as well." _She laughed. "_Been a long time since the Animal has spoken human words."_

Both the brothers were silent, arms trembling. The way she spoke, and those _eyes_, brought ancient fears back to life. She was some demon, escaped from hell, and sent to punish them for the misdeeds they had done.

The Animal's eyes lit up when she noticed the sign of weakness. Even though it hurt her to talk, throat sore from disuse and growls, she knew the effect that her voice had on humans. The raspy growling tones awakened old fears in people, one she took advantage of. And she knew her eyes were different. No others had rings of silver in their eyes. But the ring, which gave her incredible night vision, came at a price. One she didn't share with anyone.

"_What should we do with her?_" Connor asked his brother in a language they called 'Irish', though it really was a mixture of languages. Murphy could only stare at his brother.

"_We should fucking kill her! What else are we going to do with her?_"

"_Maybe... Maybe we can use her. Think about it, she was able to take us out. And doing what we do is a lot easier with three people..._"

"_I can't believe you're asking this! Look, in this situation it's kill or be killed. I don't trust her to watch my back the way Rocco and Romeo did. She'd be just as fucking likely to slit our throats while our backs are turned!_"

"_I think we can use her._"

Murphy growled at his brother.

"_If you want to keep her, then fine. But I'm not fucking doing anything with your new 'pet'._"

They turned to study the Animal again, noting uncomfortably that she was looking at them with bright, vivid interest. Connor almost changed his mind, before realizing that it would have meant admitting his brother was right.

"Alright, listen up. We'll fucking let you live if, and only if, you work for us. And I don't want to see a knife in my brother's back the moment I turn around."

To their immense surprise, Animal started laughing dryly, convulsing with hysterics.

"_You want to keep the Animal as a pet? Fine, then I will agree to your terms. It does not matter to me who I kill. Just point me in the right direction, and your monster will take care of the rest. But get in my way, and I will attack you as well. I take it we're agreed?_"

They were silent for an uncomfortable moment, before they both nodded simultaneously.

"Fine."

Regretfully, they both tucked their guns away, while Animal just as slowly folded her thick-bladed knife and slipped it into a pocket, watching them cautiously with blood dribbling down her face. The brothers took this moment to take stock of their own wounds, Connor with the bite on his neck and the newly-dislocated knee, and Murphy with the knife wound in his side, bleeding a dangerous amount.

Silently, they three watched each other, measuring. Then, Animal growled gruffly.

"_Come._"

She turned and sped away, and the two brothers were confused at her sudden change in speech. Before, she had been extravagant in her words. Now, she barely talked.

With one last look at each other, they both followed as best as they could down the dark streets, each supporting the other.

"Where the fuck are we?" Murphy asked, and Animal turned around and gave him an irritated glare before answering.

"_I live here._"

They stood in front of an old building, what looked like an ancient house from before the city grew up around it. The dilapidated building looked like it might fall at any moment.

"Is it fucking safe?"

"_It will stand._"

She walked into the shadows of the building, clearly expecting both to follow. Giving each other glances, they hobbled in after her, exhausted. It had taken most of their energy to get here, after a two-mile walk, and Murphy was in danger of fainting from loss of blood.

When they entered the building, they were surprised to see that it was actually well lit, and had sparse furniture.

"_You can drink the water from the white bucket. It's clean._"

They started at her voice, then followed her gesture over to a white bucket against the wall. It was mostly full of water, and Connor guided his brother over to it and set him down gently, concerned. His brother's face was looking deathly pale. He helped his brother slake his thirst, then quenched his own before looking again at Animal.

She was holding a mirror up to the side of her head crusted with blood, peering at it from the corner of her eye while she carefully dabbed away the dried mess. When she dubbed it as clean as she could get with a rag, she grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and drenched her wound in it, hissing at the sting. Connor felt a surge of satisfaction at the wound the rock had given her.

When the gash was fully clean, she studied it for a brief moment more before setting the mirror down, turning her gaze to the brothers. The silver in her eyes flashed with reflected light for a brief moment, sending a shiver down Connor's spine.

She grabbed a bag and moved toward them suddenly, kneeling at Murphy's side and pulling something out of the black bag.

Connor shoved her away from his brother, taking a defensive stance between them. Animal glared up at him from the ground and snarled.

"_I need to take care of his side before he bleeds to death._"

Connor could see her point, but was still reluctant to move. He shuffled to the side, staying close to keep a careful eye on her.

"Do anything wrong, and I will shoot you."

She ignored him and lifted up Murphy's shirt, studying the wound she had left deep in his side. Reaching for a clean rag, she dipped it in the bucket of water and dabbed carefully at the wound, clearing it so she could see better. Murphy moaned with pain every time she accidentally brushed it, but there was nothing to be done about that.

When it was clean, she frowned and pulled out her bottle of alcohol, dumping it into the wound. Murphy cried out, and Connor reached out to hit her.

"_This needs to be done, or it will become infected._"

He stilled his hand, and, frustrated, lowered it.

Animal continued what she was doing, using her fingers to pry apart the lips of the wound slightly, flushing it with the alcohol again. When she dubbed it clean, she reached again into her bag, pulling out sewing needles and fishing line.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing with that?"

"_Stitches_", came the irritated answer, and she bent her head to thread the needle.

"You know how to do stitches?"

"_Not hard. Learned on myself._"

Needle threaded, she leaned toward Murphy, who had gained consciousness and was watching her tensely. Making a quick motion, she stabbed the needle into his flesh close to the wound and drew the line through it, until she pulled almost the entire length through. Making a matching hole on the other side, she drew the wound closed in that spot with a quick tug, then tied a knot, snipping the line when she was done. Then she proceeded to the next stitch. By the time she was done, Murphy had four stitches in his side, as neat-looking as if he had gone to a hospital.

She studied her stitches for a moment, and, apparently satisfied, she turned away, rustling through some bins in the corner of the room. She threw something at them, and Connor caught the package in his hands, tense. However, he realized that it was just a package of Oreo's.

"_Those are for him to eat. Make sure he eats them all, then get him to drink as much water as he can._"

Murphy reached for the package, and Connor tore it open for him. Feeling nervous under the disconcerting gaze of Animal, Murphy ate and drank, before slumping against the wall to watch her.

As soon as he was finished, she moved forward toward Connor, standing to see the wound her teeth had left on his neck. He flinched away, but held still at her growl.

"_Not that bad. Just need to clean it. Then we will fix your leg._"

Connor paled at the thought, but she either ignored it or didn't notice it. Motioning for him to sit, she kneeled beside him and cleaned the wound, dressing it with a bandage. Then she turned to Murphy.

"_Feeling strong?_"

"Why?"

"_Need you to hold him still so I can reset leg. It will hurt._"

Murphy nodded, then slid over to his brother, who had his injured leg stretched out awkwardly in front of him. He wrapped his arm around his brother, then nodded at the waiting Animal.

"_I will count to three, then pull the leg so it will set right. Ready?_" She waited for their nod, then began counting. "_One-_"

With a sudden wrenching motion, she pulled the leg, startling them both, and Connor screamed and clenched his brother's hand at the pain. With a set look, Animal twisted the leg and slid it back into place, an audible popping noise issuing forth from the joint. Connor could feel a sudden relief as the knee was corrected, but it still pained him.

"What the fuck happened to three?" Murphy yelled accusingly.

"_He would have tensed and made it worse. I might not have been able to correct the leg, and instead tore the muscles. Would you have preferred that?_"

"Don't ever do that again."

"_Then don't dislocate your leg_", she retorted, obviously hiding a laugh.

The brothers both growled at her and glared, but released each other and slid back against the wall, feeling exhausted. Animal dug through her bin and pulled out a package of beef jerky, throwing it to Connor, pulling out her own and tearing it open with her teeth. Growling as she gnawed the dried meat, she stared off blankly, and Connor opened his own package and wearily started eating. It was tough to chew, but he had to admit he felt better after eating something.

With a sudden yawn that made the brothers jump, Animal sniffed the air and curled up against the opposite wall, quickly sliding into sleep. Despite resisting it as much as they could, the brothers found themselves following her, leaning against one another for support, both physical and mental.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun rose on Murphy's face, and he blinked, vaguely wondering why he was sleeping sitting up. He glanced around the room he was in, bleary eyed, then saw the girl watching them from the other corner of the room, bathed in shadow.

He gasped and sat up quickly, and his brother jerked awake as well, glancing quickly around. He stilled as his eyes landed on Animal, and they observed one another, curious eyes meeting distrustful ones.

Finally, she moved, coming slowly towards them.

"_Need check injuries._"

Murphy felt an urge to grab his gun and shoot her in the head before she took another step closer to them, but just nodded stiffly, keeping a wary eye on her.

Seeing his acquiescence, she moved more swiftly, kneeling at his side and lifting the shirt to check her stitches. The clothing was stiff with dried blood, and he made a face at the smell.

Growling to herself, Animal inspected the wound before dropping the shirt, apparently satisfied. She then moved to Connor, taking the bandage off his neck and looking at the bite there. She placed a fresh bandage on after cleaning it once again, then picked up the knee and felt it carefully, trying to feel around the swelling. Connor hissed with the pain, but was otherwise quiet, and she placed it back down again.

"_You will be fine. When the swelling goes down more, I will bandage it to keep it from moving._"

Walking back to her corner, she picked up the package of jerky from the night before and began gnawing on another piece, observing them curiously.

They just watched each other, and then Connor coughed to break the silence.

"I'm Connor. My brother's name is Murphy."

She growled to let them know she had heard them, but otherwise remained silent. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the two, and the study made them both feel awkward.

"What's your name?" Murphy tried, and flinched as her gaze focused sharply on him, though thankfully the light was coming from the wrong angle to reflect off her eyes.

"_You know my name._"

"What, Animal?" Murphy laughed, unable to contain himself. "You expect us to believe that's your name?"

"_It's what they call me._"

"Yes, but we want to know what your actual name is."

"_I have no name. I use the ones I am given._"

"Oh come on, you have to have a name", Connor insisted, and Animal growled angrily.

"_I don't have a name anymore. I gave it up when I gave up my old life._"

"So what exactly happened?" Connor asked, eager.

Animal snarled sharply once, then fell silent, refusing to answer. They stayed silent for a bit more, then Murphy changed the subject.

"So why did they call you Ghost up north?"

She stayed silent for a while, then grudgingly answered, "_They feared my ability to hide. That, and the silver in my eyes made them believe I was a vengeful spirit attacking those who did wrong. Some idiot called me a ghost, and the name stuck._"

She wrinkled her nose.

"_I think I prefer it to Animal._"

"So, do you want us to call you Ghost?"

"_Call me what you will_", she snarled suddenly, clearly fed-up with the conversation. They sat in silence for a long period of time, then twitched as Animal stood suddenly and walked out the door.

"_Stay here, I'll be back by sunset._"

She vanished, and the brothers could only look at each other as they sat.

"Oi, I wonder where she wants us to fucking piss."

Hours later, the building growing darker as the sun slid behind the skyscrapers beside them, they jumped when they heard footsteps coming into the room. Both had tried cleaning their shirts in the bucket of water, and the clothing was now dangling from protruding nails in the wall, drying. They had both eaten what food they were given, and both were hungry again.

Animal walked into the room, and barely spared their shirtless bodies a glance before gathering her things.

"_We're moving to a different location._"

Both brothers stiffened.

"Did someone find us?" Connor asked.

"_No. This place will not work for cleaning injuries. I found a place with running water._"

She threw her small black bag into a book bag, then walked over to the bin and began throwing food into it, packing up as much as she could fit into the one bag.

"What can we do?"

"_Sit there until I am ready to go!_" came the answering growl, and they both shut their mouths.

When Animal finished packing, she turned swiftly, yanking their shirts off the nails and throwing them at the two.

"_Get dressed_", she growled, and they hurriedly threw on their shirts before staggering to their feet. Connor heavily favored his right leg, and it pained Murphy to stand up all the way. Still, they followed her out the door, Connor using Murphy as a make-shift crutch. They followed her out the door, and into the filthy streets.

Even though it was daytime, and it should have been busy, there was no one on the streets in that area of the city, and rats ran rampant. Animal walked swiftly, hissing angrily at the rats that scampered across her path. She led them into the busier part of the city, and, keeping her eyes facing downward to keep the light away from them, led them through it. People here were too busy to spare them more than a glance, and no one asked why they were wearing bandages or questioned about the nasty-looking gash on the side of Animal's head.

Through that area of the city, she led them even further in, entering the housing section. Here, people gave them suspicious glances, but none stopped them as they continued, until Animal led them onto a nearly-abandoned street and climbed the porch of the last house.

Glancing around her, she slipped a straightened paperclip and a bobby pin through the lock, swiftly picking it. The door clicked open, and she ventured inside. The brothers glanced at each other, but followed, shutting the door behind them.

The house was empty, waiting to be sold. However, from the condition, it appeared it would be a while.

"Whose house is this?" Connor asked, and Animal glanced at him.

"_Bank took it. We will stay here for a short time. Only until you are healed. Then we will leave this city._"

"And how long do you think that will be?" Murphy questioned, lilting accent dripping with sarcasm.

"_Five days, maybe. Then you will be able to walk well again._"

"Gee, and I wonder whose fault it is that we have to wait that long."

Animal ignored him, and Murphy sank down on the soft carpet across from a low picture window, scowling at her. Connor sat down next to him, stretching out his leg, and they watched Animal pace through the house. She came back through a hallway, and gestured at them.

"_Shirts._"

"What?"

"_Give me your shirts._"

"Why?"

"_So I can clean them!_" she hissed irritably, and they looked at each other before pulling their shirts over their heads and tossing them to her. She tilted her head in interest as she caught a glance at the tattoos on their backs, but didn't say anything as she entered what seemed to be the bathroom again. They heard the sound of running water, presumably from a bathtub, listening when the water shut off. Animal walked back into the room, definitely shirtless.

"So where're our shirts?" Murphy asked.

"_Soaking_", was all she responded before heading into the kitchen, where he could see things like fresh meat and frying pans sitting on the table.

"Hey, where'd you get the food?"

A growl was his only response, and Connor threw one of the shoes he had taken off at him, missing.

"Will ya' stop bugging her? I'd like to eat, you know."

"Oh, shut up", Murphy responded, launching into a tiring but familiar argument while he could hear Animal growling softly in irritation at the noise they were making but not bothering.

Having nothing to do, the brothers watched Animal as she fried the steaks, and noticed her watching them in return. Connor and Murphy didn't trust her, but they couldn't yet figure out why she kept watching them. It was more like she was curious, interested as a child would be in a strange bug. Or maybe she was wondering why they hadn't killed her yet.

"Oi, are those steaks fucking done yet?" Murphy called out, and was answered by a furious snarl from the kitchen. Animal erupted from the room and lunged at him, pinning him to the wall by his neck before either he or his brother could react, snarling furiously in his face.

"_I am NOT your slave. I work for you, and that is all. You are very lucky that I am feeding you._"

She froze as a cold barrel was pressed into the back of her skull, and a click echoed throughout the empty room.

"Fucking let go of him before I blow your brains out", Connor said in a dangerous voice, low-pitched and seething. Animal released Murphy's neck, moving slowly and drawing her arm away. As soon as she was a good enough distance away, Connor drew the gun away from her head, placing the hammer back into its original position. They glared at each other before Animal turned away with a frustrated growl, stalking back into the kitchen. There was a series of crashes, and she came back out with two plates of steak, shoving them at Connor.

"_Here_", she hissed, then whirled away and sat down in the kitchen, snarling softly while she tore apart her own food. Connor took the plates and handed one to his brother, sitting down beside him.

"Well, now what? Not even here for a day and you've already pissed someone off."

"Oh, fucking shut it, will you!"

"Why should I? It's your fault!"

"Connor, I'm fucking warning you!"

"Oh, and just what are you going to do?"

Murphy didn't even bother replying, instead throwing himself at his brother, wrestling him. They rolled around on the floor, but their injuries caused them to stop, hissing with pain. They glared at each other, then Connor huffed and went to the other side of the room, taking his food with him. They spent the rest of the night exchanging glares, and when they finally went to sleep, they still had not reconciled with each other. However, each knew that in the morning everything would be fine. It always was for them.

As Murphy lay down, he realized Animal still hadn't come out of the kitchen.

_Animal did not like him. The taller one, Connor, was not as bad as his brother. But the one named Murphy was infuriating. They both were, but he was the worst. Treating her like a slave. Just who did he think he was?_

_She sighed loudly as she lay curled up on the tile in the kitchen. She hadn't even left the room since Murphy had treated her like a slave. And when she had tried giving him a warning, she had been threatened in turn by Connor. Ptah, how confusing these two were! They were worse than jackdaws!_

_She sighed again and curled up tighter. If she hadn't have made that deal with them, she would have been gone already. How anyone could stand those two was beyond her. But, when she had heard them discussing her fate in the ally that night, she was able to understand the few words of Spanish. They had mentioned something about old friends they had worked with. But what had happened to them?_

_Feeling slightly disconcerted with this new revelation, she slept._

The sun rose once again in Murphy's face, and he yawned and stretched out as well as he could, wincing at the tug of stitches. He automatically glanced toward his brother, and once satisfied he was alright, glanced around for Animal, thinking she would be watching them again. However, the remainder of the room was empty, and he could still hear quiet breaths coming from the kitchen where she had slept last night.

Feeling thirsty, he stumbled to his feet, trying to stifle another yawn. Failing, he shuffled into the bathroom, cupping his hands to drink from the faucet.

He spotted the shirts drying on the remains of the shower rack, and vaguely wondered when she had woken up to hang them. He didn't remember her getting up during the night, so that could only mean she had walked through the room while they were sleeping and defenseless.

He felt uneasy at this prospect. She could have killed the both of them while they slept time and time again. Thank God she kept her promises.

Clutching the rosary around his neck, he muttered a quick prayer of thanks. So far they had been lucky with the beast called Animal, and they needed all the luck they could get. Maybe this was a sign from the Lord that they should continue their mission of eradicating the slovenly filth from the world. Now that he thought about it, the worst of their luck had been before they had made the pact with Animal to work together.

He shuffled uneasily. Maybe the Lord had just wanted them to work with the Animal. Because they had intended to continue before they had even heard of her, but it was only until they had made that pact that their luck turned around. If he thought about it, she did bring some useful skills to their little group. She was an excellent 'hunter', she knew how to take care of injuries, and she had ways of learning that he still couldn't fully understand. Before, their attacks had just been random assaults on the people they had targeted, and little had been known about what they were doing before they went in. Almost every plan of theirs had failed. Yet, she had known about them the instant they had entered the city, according to her, and had calculated a perfect attack plan that had had only one small flaw. Maybe meeting her was a sign that they should work with her, to exterminate the vermin of the cities more effectively.

Still pondering this, he ventured back into the room where his brother still slept, looking uneasily toward the kitchen. There was no sound of breathing from the kitchen, but Murphy didn't dare look to see where she was. For all he knew, she could have been one of the Lord's angels herself, sent down to assist them in their deed. Or maybe she was a demon, bent only on killing. Either way, he knew she wasn't natural.

And as much as he hated to admit it, he was frightened.

_Animal sat in silence, listening to the world around her. She had not yet woken enough to have thoughts running through her head, and her mind was the peaceful blankness of a wild creature._

_She listened as the shorter one left the room-with-running-water, and ventured back into the sleeping room. He was oddly silent, his footfalls telling her he was thinking deeply. She did not know these things in thoughts, however. It was feelings she 'thought' in now, and she 'felt' that he was deep in thought. She also 'felt' that at this moment, he was weak prey, limping, crippled, and distracted. _

_As she rose into a hunting stance, the feeling that he was not prey, but a pack-mate stopped her from continuing her hunt. After sniffing the air a few times, useless because of her weak human nose but habitual, she settled back down onto the floor, yawning. That was when the first thought of her day ran through her mind._

'_Hungry.'_

_Vaguely mourning the loss of peace the absence of thoughts gave her, she rose and went to get food._

Murphy twitched but watched Animal carefully as she walked swiftly through the room, her mind obviously on other matters. She left the house swiftly, barely sparing the two of them a glance, and then he was left alone with his sleeping brother.

He wondered at the odd expression on her face when she had walked by. She seemed…. contemplative. An odd expression for her. An odd expression for anyone, really.

"Morning."

He turned and returned the greeting to his brother, who had finally woken up.

"Mornin'. Animal left, and I have no idea where she went."

"There's more important things to think of in life than what her twisted mind is thinking. Now help me up so we can find some food."

Murphy chuckled and rose to help his brother rise to his feet, heaving him up.

"Uff, you need to go on a fucking diet. Maybe you should skip breakfast."

"Oh, fuck you!"

Connor hobbled into the kitchen, where he sat down on one of the two chairs in the kitchen. The entire house they were in was sparsely decorated, waiting to be sold. It was quite depressing, actually.

Murphy sat in the lone remaining chair, and the both of them were quiet as they woke up.

"I was thinking-"

"Stop right there."

"What?"

"Anything that comes out of your mouth that starts with the words 'I was thinking' normally ends up almost killing us."

"That was only once!"

"And I don't want to fucking repeat the experience."

"Oh, fuck you! What I WAS going to say is that we should head back to Boston soon. We don't need to be fully healed in order to rent a car and drive. Besides, I know a few places we can stay there that are in better condition than this place."

"You mean the back room of the pub?"

"Considering he still has one."

They were quiet for a brief moment, reminiscing in the memory of their dear friend Doc, who they had known before the 'Saints' business started up.

"If not, we can always find somewhere else. I wonder if Romeo's uncle would let us stay?"

"Who knows? Do you want to leave or not?"

"Definitely. I don't know what it is, but the people in this God-damned state don't seem to like us too much."

"_New Yorker's are always like that. We have a mistrust of strangers, and tend to be private. City people are no different than where I'm from."_

They both yelped and jumped out of their seats, whirling to see Animal standing behind them. She was holding a few shopping bags, and the light from the curtain-less windows was reflecting off her eyes.

"Where the fuck did you come from?"

"_Door._"

She gestured vaguely behind her, then walked past them into the kitchen, setting down her plastic bags on the table. They both moved swiftly out of her way, hearts still pounding.

"How the fuck did you get in without us hearing you?"

"_Not hard", _was her only reply, leaving the brothers to decipher the cryptic words.

"Where did you go?" Connor questioned as soon as he calmed down.

"_Getting food. I was hungry._"

He shut up at the plain response, and watched as she pulled milk, bowls, and a box of cereal out of the bags.

"Where did you get the food?" Murphy asked, and Animal shot him an odd look.

"_Store..._", she said slowly, and Connor unsuccessfully tried to stifle a laugh, a wheezing choke coming from his mouth.

"Shut the fuck up, Connor!"

Animal didn't quite seem to get the joke she had said, and only looked at them both oddly before pulling bowls out of another bag and making herself a bowl of cereal. Finished, she popped the cap back on the milk and sat down in a chair, picking up a spoon and staring off blankly while she ate.

Shrugging at each other, they both made their own bowls and leaned against the counter while they ate instead of sitting at the table. They watched Animal until she had finished devouring her food before speaking up.

"We're leaving for Boston today", Connor informed her, watching her reaction carefully. Animal only growled noncommittingly.

"_Figured as much. How are you planning on returning?_"

"Same way we got here. We'll rent a vehicle and drive down."

There was silence.

"Ya' can drive, right?" Murphy suddenly asked, and was startled to see Animal quickly shift her eyes away.

"_...No._"

"What do ya' mean, you can't drive? How old are ya'?" Connor asked in disbelief, which shifted into stunned silence as she actually seemed to have to think about it. Tapping her fingers on the table, she counted silently to herself before answering.

"_Twenty-two... I think._"

"WHAT?" both brothers shouted simultaneously, and Animal winced at the volume of the shouts.

"What the fuck do ya' mean, 'you think'?" Murphy demanded while Connor shouted, "There's no way you're only twenty-two!"

She cringed and covered her ears with her hands, half-closing her eyes in pain at the shouts.

"There's no way you're fucking twenty-two."

"Ya' would have had to be seventeen when ya' started. Ya' HAVE been doing this for five years, haven't ya'?"

"_Stop screaming!_"

They both snapped their mouths shut, then looked oddly at her.

"_Yes, I'm only twenty-two. Yes, I have been killing for five years. And YES, I was seventeen when I started. If you ever scream at me again I will have to add you to my list of kills. Got it?_"

They both stared at her for a little while longer.

"Holy shit, someone woke up on the wrong side of the floor this morning."

Connor burst into laughter at Murphy's remark while Animal snarled furiously at him, seething. Her hands clenched and unclenched, as if wishing a knife would appear in her fingers so she could bury it in their hearts. As if realizing the hope was futile, she ended her growl abruptly and stalked past them, shoving her way forcefully past the laughing Connor. Murphy joined his brother in laughing.

"Good one, Murph! Absolutely brilliant!"

Murphy was too busy laughing to graciously accept the praise. They were both still chuckling when Animal stalked in again, throwing their shirts in their faces before growling and exiting again. This brought on a fresh wave of laughter, and as a result, it was at least ten minutes before they were actually able to do something productive.

Connor was sitting in one of the kitchen chairs with his leg propped up on the other while Animal bound his leg to stabilize the knee. Murphy leaned against the counter and watched, a small half-smile still on his face as Animal grumbled to herself. He had already had his stitches inspected, and had to admit it was much better than the home-cauterization they used to do to their wounds.

"Hey, how did you learn to do stitches and shit like that?" he asked, and Connor looked at Animal expectantly.

"_My dad didn't like taking care of us when we got hurt. We never had Band-Aids in the house. Instead, he taught us to take care of our own wounds. I remember walking on a sprained ankle for a day before he finally admitted something was wrong and took me to the hospital. By that time, the tendon had torn completely. The staff was amazed I had been able to move my ankle at all, let alone walk on it._"

She paused to finish wrapping Connor's knee, pinning the wrap so that it didn't unravel.

"_I've always had a knack for healing, I guess. Even then, though, I didn't learn how to do stitches until after I started killing. I had the theory, but it took actual practice before I was able to do anything that even resembled stitches._"

"How did you keep getting hurt to need the practice?" Connor questioned.

"_I don't attack like you do. I've never had a taste for guns and such. I prefer knives and close-combat. As of such, I was injured often._"

"Why don't you like guns?"

She only shrugged as she packed her things, which they took to mean an 'I don't know'. Something dawned on Murphy.

"Wait, how many have you actually killed? The news estimates thirty-eight."

"_Forty-three in the cities, twenty-seven in the northern towns._"

"Holy shit! Seventy?"

She shrugged again.

"No wonder everyone's so desperate to catch you. Fuck, and they thought we were bad!" Connor growled, and Murphy nodded in agreement.

"_No one likes to think a little girl could do that much._"

"Yeah, imagine what the news would be. '_Animal, the murderer of over seventy people, has finally been caught. Contrary to popular belief, it has turned out that Animal is actually a twenty-two year old woman. How she was able to able to avoid police capture for this long is unknown, but the real question is: how were the police outsmarted for five years by this young girl?_'" Murphy mocked, making his voice high-pitched to imitate a newscaster. Connor snorted, and Murphy was amazed to see Animal crack a wide grin. Huh, maybe she wasn't that bad.

Shaking her head, she walked to the door, pack in hand. Pausing, she turned back to look at them.

"_Ready to leave?_"


	3. Chapter 3

_Maybe they weren't so bad. Yes, they were confusing as all hell, but at least they had a sense of humor. It had been so long since Animal had laughed. Infuriating they may be, but as long as they had a sense of humor, she could stand them._

_She walked out of the house, the two following her. Their injuries weren't really that bad, and they would probably be able to kill again sooner than what she had anticipated._

_A sound echoed through the air, and she froze._

_Moving slowly, she turned to face the noise, finally seeing what she was looking for. Damn it, how had they found her already?_

_Struggling to clamp down on a wail of fear, succeeding in producing a high-pitched whine instead, she threw herself backwards and behind the nearest object, not caring what, or who, it was. In her fear, she could only tell it was one of the brothers, but her focus was on the creature before her. It watched the three of them with cold green eyes, filled with the evil forces it carried._

_Crying out again, she hid her trembling self behind the brother, moving out of the creature's gaze. Memories flashed through her mind, of being attacked by one when she was younger, and she let slip another whine. She was terrified, unable to move._

_She was helpless._

Murphy and Connor followed Animal out the door, still laughing to themselves. Animal had even smiled, which they had not thought possible a few minutes before. They were in good spirits as they left their temporary shelter, which was why they were so startled when Animal suddenly cried out in fear and hid herself behind Murphy.

They blinked and tensed, but could see nothing. Confused, Connor looked at the trembling Animal currently clinging to Murphy like a rock in the middle of an angry ocean.

"Oi, what the fuck's your problem? There's nothing here."

"_They found me. How did they find me already?_" Animal only mumbled to herself, pressing even closer to Murphy's back.

"Hey, what-"

"Oi, it's a fucking cat!"

Connor blinked and looked where Murphy's finger was pointing, seeing the orange and white cat sitting on the lawn in front of them. Its tail was wrapped around its legs, and its green eyes watched them in the scrutiny of a cat.

"…..Are you scared of the fucking cat?" Connor finally asked, turning to look at the shaking Animal, trying to stop himself from laughing. Murphy was shaking with repressed laughter, one hand covering his mouth to stop chuckles from escaping.

She only peered around Murphy with wide eyes, trembling like a leaf, to watch the feline.

Connor, still trying to repress his laughter, merely picked up a rock and flung it at the cat, missing but succeeding in scaring it away. The cat hissed as it ran off, and Murphy could feel her flinch behind his back, and was busy trying to keep a fresh wave of laughter from escaping.

"Alright, the fucking cat's gone. Now do ya' mind telling me why you're so scared of the damned thing?"

"_Cats are the servants of death_", was all she hissed, verifying the cat was gone before stepping away from Murphy, who was bent over double trying to stop laughing. Her face was red in shame, and she looked only at the ground as she walked by them. Murphy, somehow succeeding in biting back his laughter, gasped for breath as he leaned against the porch railing.

"I can't believe that the Animal, murderer of seventy people, is terrified of fucking cats", he said, looking at his brother with a wide grin. Connor chuckled in return.

"Neither can I, but it's probably best if we don't let her hear that, eh?"

_Animal was ashamed. She had always been terrified of cats, but now that those two knew, it was tormenting. She couldn't remember why she was scared of them, all she knew was that they always caused her heart to race and her body to shake. They were just EVIL._

_She followed a few steps behind Connor and Murphy, listening idly as they made plans with one another. She knew that they found her fear amusing, but she couldn't quite blame them. It was a stupid fear, but one she couldn't eliminate. She was fine unless there were cats nearby._

_She kept watch as they walked down the streets, realizing that the brothers didn't think to do it themselves. They had probably never had an experience with a pick-pocket before, and there were plenty in Albany._

_Seeing a boy standing in a doorway with his hands in his pockets, she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. She kept eye contact for a few seconds, just long enough to warn him that she knew what he was, and he'd better not try anything. He nodded lightly in return, then turned his gaze to watch another potential victim. Even the thieves here had their own code of honor, and she had long ago learned it. Most here knew who she was, and they didn't mess with her as long as she didn't mess with them. The arrangement suited her fine._

_Turning back to keep listening to the brothers, she shoved her hands in her pockets and stepped closer._

"It's only about a five hour drive from here to Boston. Do ya' want to eat her, or eat on the road?"

"I don't fucking care! Let's just get the stupid car and get out of this city. The sooner we get back to work, the better."

"Fine then!"

Connor led the way into a rental building, and Animal followed Murphy in. She had walked behind them the entire time, and they had noticed her gaze flicking about, watching everyone that was near them. They had purposely made themselves targets, to see what she would do. In keeping watch, she had done beyond their expectations, and they knew that at least she would never be caught off-guard when she was working with them.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

Connor looked at the representative, noting the usual things: looks, teeth, hair, and personality. The results: too pretty, too white, dyed, and fake. Sighing mentally to himself, he smiled and turned to ask about a rental vehicle.

Animal was wandering around the lobby, looking through the glass at the cars they would have a choice from, and Murphy kept an eye on the only other woman in the room, who was looking at Animal oddly. Thankfully, the light was coming from the wrong angle to reflect off her mirrored eyes, but the large gash on the side of her head wasn't helping with camouflage. Huh, how had they missed that earlier?

"Well, if you would like to pick out a vehicle, we can fill out the paperwork. How long do you think you'll have the vehicle for?"

"We're not really sure. Can we pay by the day?"

"Sure, but we'll need to know where you're going."

"Boston. Hey, Murph, why don't you go pick out a vehicle?"

Animal turned around and looked at Connor. He paused, then sighed.

"Alright, you can pick it out."

In a flash, she whirled around and vanished into the lot.

"It'd better not be gay-looking!" he called out after her, and earned a chirp in response. Grumbling to himself, he followed the representative back to her desk, and Murphy watched Animal through the glass as she walked from vehicle to vehicle, until she vanished among all the chrome and paint.

Suddenly, she reappeared from among the vehicles, heading back toward them with a paper slip in her hand. She walked back through the door and handed the paper to the representative, and the brothers could read the numbers F-32 on the card.

"Alright, for this vehicle it'll be two-hundred a week."

"Um, what one is it?" Connor asked, and the representative pointed through the glass at one of the vehicles being driven up.

They both blinked in shock, then looked at the happily-grinning Animal. The vehicle she had picked out was a giant blue double-cab Toyota Tundra, a cap covering the bed, and the windows were darkly tinted. The same thought ran through their heads at the same time: _Holy shit, that thing is a tank._

"Let me guess, they were out of Hummers?"

She only grinned wider, and a dry laugh escaped her throat. Shaking his head, Connor turned back to the representative.

"We'll take it."

Later, as Murphy somehow manipulated it onto the streets without running over anything, Connor turned to look at Animal, who was sitting in the spacious backseats.

"That is the LAST time I let you fucking pick out anything. You could have picked a car, or even a small truck. Instead, you choose the only fucking tank in the lot. What were you thinking?"

"_I like big trucks_", she rasped, and Murphy started laughing.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about staying anywhere. Just put a couple air mattresses in the back, and we'll have our own house."

"_That's what I was thinking._"

"Oh, shut up!" Connor snapped at Animal, and she grinned and leaned back into her seat, looking out the dark window at the streets. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Murphy spoke up.

"Oi, anyone want to listen to music?"

Without waiting for a response, he began flipping through the radio stations, looking for anything that sounded good. He used Animal's growls to judge whether she liked the music or not, and finally settled on one that she seemed to hate the least. Needless to say, none of them liked it.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Connor grimaced, looking with distaste at the radio. Animal growled in agreement, and Murphy winced. The music sounded something like a dog being kicked repeatedly, with strange wailing for lyrics.

"Can we please find a Wal-Mart or something? This music is going to make me insane."

"Agreed", Murphy said, snapping off the radio, and Animal sighed in relief. All three of them went on the lookout for some sort of store that looked like it would sell CD's, and Animal growled and pointed at a sign for a Wal-Mart. Murphy again miraculously drove into the narrow entrance without causing an accident, and parked the truck, taking up two spaces but unable to help it.

"Connor's right. You are NEVER choosing a vehicle again."

Animal ignored Murphy and started walking in, and the brothers followed her. There were a few things that were needed here.

"Okay, I'll go with Animal and grab CD's and air mattresses, and Murphy, you can go get us some new clothes. I could use a clean shirt."

"Oi, I don't know what fucking size clothes she wears!"

"_Don't need any. Already have some._"

"Problem solved. Grab anything else you think we might need."

Murphy rolled his eyes but walked off, glad he wasn't stuck with Animal. She still creeped him out, even though he was starting to like her. Besides, with all the lights in here, her eyes would be glowing like mad, and he didn't envy his brother for having to cover for her.

Seeing Murphy walk away, he turned and led Animal into the electronics section, the closest to the door. She brushed past him and turned into the CD's with obvious ease, scanning through the titles swiftly. Connor watched her for a brief moment before looking himself, picking up two that both he and his brother liked. He turned to Animal, and saw she was holding a band he didn't recognize and was looking at another that was unfamiliar.

"….Is that fucking German?"

"_Yes._"

"….Okay."

She looked at him, eyes flashing in the bright lights of the store.

"_I like them. You might too._"

She returned the disc she was holding to the shelves, and he looked at the band name. Korn. Okay, not one he recognized, but that one didn't sound German.

"What one do you have?"

"_E-Nomine._"

"And they are?"

"_A Catholic German band. Like I said, you might like them._"

So, she had heard them saying their prayers the past two days. They weren't sure if she would or not, so they had been quiet, but she had heard. Oh well.

"And what one are you holding now?"

"_Rammstein._"

A younger teen that had wandered near looked at them when she spoke, seeming uneasy when he heard the dry rasp that was Animal's voice. He edged away, then walked back around the corner he had come from. Hmm, smart boy.

"Almost done?" he asked when she decided to keep the disc she was looking at, and she stood and nodded. He winced when the glare off her eyes sent a beam of light flashing across the shelves, and she caught it and looked down, ending the beam.

"_Sorry. I can't help it._"

"Do you know why they do that?"

She looked around them, and shifted uneasily when she saw the number of people around them.

"_Later?_"

"Okay."

She led him out of the electronics sections, and he wondered at her sudden shyness at explaining her eyes. Maybe it was just that she didn't want to be overheard.

Feeling puzzled, he followed her into the camping section.

Murphy was hopelessly lost. Somehow, he had ended up in the baby section of the store, and it seemed that wherever he turned, there were more bottles and diapers. No matter what way he went, there were more baby supplies.

"There is no way the store is keeping me captive", he mumbled to himself. "I just need to walk until I find the end of this row, and then look around for a sign to anywhere."

Just as he prepared to perform his plan, he heard a pleasant female voice behind him ask, "Can I help you?"

He turned and looked at the person, and made a mental checklist. Face, pretty, with a small scar on her cheek that gave character. Teeth, straight, except for one crooked tooth on bottom that added to her charm. Hair, plain, mousy brown that gleamed healthily in the light. Eyes, pale green and NOT shining. Weight, average but toned. All in all, she was very attractive.

He sighed, knowing that it would not be smart to hit on her. He killed people. Somehow, he doubted that anyone would be interested in a murderer, no matter how clean they tried to keep their actions.

"Um, yes, I seem to have gotten lost."

She laughed, and he groaned mentally.

"Surprisingly, people do it all the time here. Where are you headed?"

"Men's clothing."

"Just head that way. It's just past children's."

"Thank you!"

He waved as he walked away from her, and she smiled in return. Following her directions, he found his way out, past a pile of diapers he had walked by at least three times. He threaded his way past the small t-shirts he can't believe he used to be able to fit into, and walked into the men's clothing.

Animal swiftly grabbed two twin-sized air mattresses of the shelf and handed them to Connor before grabbing a battery-powered air-pump as well.

"What size batteries?"

"_D._"

"We'll grab them on the way out. Come on, let's find my brother."

She followed him out, and he led her into the other half of the store, looking over the racks to find his brother. He spotted him swiftly, then wove his way through the clothes to meet him.

"I'm all done. You?"

"I'm set. Come on, let's leave."

The three walked to the entrance they had come in from, Animal falling into her place behind them and keeping her eyes down to prevent the glare. On their way out, Connor snatched a package of batteries off a display and added them to the pile the held while they waited in line. When it was their turn to pay, he was forced to use a $100 bill, earning a suspicious glance from the cashier. All the money they had was what they had taken from the Russian mob years ago, and unfortunately, it was all large bills.

After the bill was checked out, they gathered their bags and left, heading again to the giant blue tank they had rented. Connor could only sigh when he saw it.

"We'll be attracting everyone's attention with that thing."

"No wonder. You could drive around a small army and no one would know."

They tossed their bags into the truck bed, shutting the flap when the last bag was in, then climbed into the vehicle, Murphy driving, Connor sitting in the passenger's seat, and Animal behind him. She set to work on unwrapping the CD's while Murphy cautiously backed out of the parking space, cringing when he narrowly missed crushing a small car.

"This is one of those vehicles where you get in an accident and they have to ask you what happened while they're picking metal pieces out of the grill."

"And you can just say you didn't see the car, and they'll believe it, this fucking thing is so huge."

"_It's not that bad_", Animal growled, handing them one disc while she worked on another one. Connor placed it into the disc drive and listened as the strange beat came up.

"What the fuck is this?"

"_Just listen._"

He looked at the case, seeing it was the E-Nomine CD, and flipped it over to see what the first song was titled.

"Middernajt?"

"_Mitternacht. Midnight._"

"You speak German?"

"_Not well._"

"….Is this German techno?" Murphy asked, giving the CD player an odd look. Animal had to pause.

"_Not sure what they call it._"

They were silent for a bit more, listening to the unusual song, before Connor remembered something.

"Hey, you said you'd tell me about your eyes."

Animal winced, then turned to look at him.

"_What do you want to know?_"

"Why they glow, for one."

"_I'm not sure why they glow. They have since I was born._"

"What does it do, exactly?"

"_Depends. At night, it reflects light into my eyes, and gives me good night vision. During the day, they shift and reflect light away, to keep light from hurting them._"

"Wait, how good is your 'night vision'?" Murphy asked, looking up into the mirror at her. Animal grinned.

"_My mom used to say I could see as well as an owl. I'm not sure, though. From a distance of fifty feet, I can see old scars on skin. From one hundred, I can see facial features as if you were right in front of me. From two hundred, I can see a deer standing still in a forest. Farther than that, I have not needed to test._"

"Do you see color?"

"_Only grays. Color is hard to get at night._"

They both thought a bit while Animal rubbed her throat, wincing at the soreness.

"I've never heard of anything like that, I'll admit."

"_Neither have I. It's a birth defect, like how some are born with tails._"

Murphy turned onto the highway, grudgingly admitting to himself that he liked the truck. The truck could _move._

He set the cruise control at sixty-five and leaned back in his seat, listening to the song.

"Can you translate this?"

"_Not as fast as they sing it._"

"I kinda like it. The choral parts are good", Connor admitted.

"_Most of their songs are like that._"

"Hmm."

They sat in a comfortable silence, listening as the disc played, and an hour later Murphy glanced into the mirror to look into the backseat.

He grinned. Animal was sleeping.

"Oi, she's fucking sleeping."

"What? No way", Connor said disbelievingly, twisting around in his seat to look for himself. "Holy shit, she is."

He turned to his brother.

"Well, what are we going to do?"

"About what?" Murphy asked.

"We can't just let an opportunity like this slide by, now can we?" Connor grinned wickedly, and Murphy had to laugh.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you, my dear brother?"

"You could stand to mention it a bit more."

Murphy playfully hit his brother, who responded with a mock cringe before laughing as well.

"So what are we going to do?"

Connor thought for a bit, then grinned again.

"Alright, here's the plan."

_Animal was roused by the sudden silence. The CD had stopped playing, and through its absence, she could tell that the truck was no longer running and the two brothers weren't where they used to be. She couldn't hear any breathing._

_Furrowing her brow, she sat up, peering blearily around her. The sights her eyes gave her were heavily blurred, the one flaw of the mirroring in her eyes. Normally, she could fare well enough without sight, using her other senses, but with the truck shut as it was, she couldn't tell what was outside the vehicle._

_Listening as intently as she could, she tried to tell where she was, but the truck was too well-built for that. Feeling unsettled, she slipped her knife into her hand, and pulled on the handle, pausing a moment to listen in case she could hear anything. With the door opened a crack, she could hear vehicles driving by, muffled slightly, and guessed they were at a rest stop, and trees were in between them and the highway._

_Tensing, she finally opened the door, staying inside for a second to see if she could hear anything else. Aside from the highway and birds chirping, there was nothing, which alarmed her even more. The rest stop had no sounds emitting from it, telling her it was long abandoned, since it would have been open in the daylight._

_The hairs on the back of her neck standing up, she finally shifted to leave the vehicle, pausing when first one foot was out, then slowly let the other drop to the ground. She listened even more, and finally she could make out the faint sound of breathing._

_In her panic, she was unable to tell who it was, and when she exited the vehicle and someone grabbed her and tried to pin her, she reacted._

_In one fluid motion, she grabbed the hand on her arm and yanked it over her shoulder, bending and using her opponent's momentum against him. He flipped over her shoulder, landing with a pained "Uff!", and sprawled on his back in front of her. With her eyes funneling light away from her pupils, she was unable to see who her attacker was, and instead focused on the other one, who had grabbed her wrist._

_Turning, she twisted her wrist out of his grip and executed a perfect roundhouse kick to his jaw, one her old sensei would have been proud of. The man grunted and stumbled backwards, shouting angrily._

_It was then she recognized who her attackers were._

_Her eyes widened in a combination of shock and a vain attempt to see, and she blurted out, "I'm sorry!"_

_She had attacked Connor and Murphy._

Connor groaned from his spot on the ground, the wind knocked out of him, and Murphy nursed his bruised jaw, looking down at Animal with reproach. She had seemed to be incredibly cautious in leaving the vehicle, and when they had executed her prank, intending only to frighten her, she had reacted in a way that was unexpected. She had surprised them with her swiftness and ferocity, and reacted to the prank by putting Connor on the ground and almost breaking Murphy's jaw in a few short moments.

"What the fuck were you doing?" Murphy growled, seeing as his brother was still trying to get his breath back. Animal cringed.

"_I'm sorry! I didn't recognize you, and when you grabbed me, I panicked. It was an automatic reaction. I'm sorry_", she repeated, and Murphy paused.

"What do you mean, you didn't recognize us? You flopped Connor right in front of you."

To his surprise, she suddenly winced and hesitated before saying, "_I wasn't paying attention to who I was attacking. I just reacted._"

Murphy narrowed his eyes at the obvious lie, but before he could say something, Connor spoke up from the ground.

"Holy shit, remind me not to fucking play a prank on you again", he wheezed, then accepted his brother's hand up. Distracted, Murphy forgot to ask what he was going to, and helped his brother to the truck. Animal followed them, and climbed back into her seat, looking out the window while every now and then giving Murphy a cautious glance.


	4. Chapter 4

"Do ya' think there'll be a bruise?" Murphy asked, examining his jaw in the mirror while his brother took his turn at driving.

"_It won't last long. There's not much muscle on the jaw to bruise._"

He glanced back at Animal, who was still avoiding eye contact with the two of them. She had felt ashamed ever since she had unwittingly attacked them, and the two brothers could tell.

"Oi, it's not that bad. It's not like ya' killed us or anything."

She cringed.

"_I almost did. I was going to stab you when you were both on the ground_", she said sheepishly, revealing the knife she held in her hand. Murphy winced, thinking of how that knife had felt the first time they had met her. The stitches itched just thinking about it.

He looked again at the knife.

"Hey, can I see that?"

Wordlessly, Animal handed the knife up to him, and he took it from her to examine it closely. It was the same knife she had used to stab him in that ally, and he was interested to see what the blade looked like. It had felt odd going into his side.

Opening the blade, the first thing he noticed was how short it was. The blade was roughly two inches long, all black metal except for a single, razor-sharp bright edge. The metal was thick, about an eighth of an inch, and tall, roughly three-quarters of an inch. It looked like the least likely blade to be used to hurt someone, yet she obviously handled it well, making this unlikely knife deadly.

Folding it back up, he handed it back to her, remarking, "That is the strangest-looking knife I have ever seen."

She took it from him and calmly flicked her wrist, the blade snapping out. She studied the edge thoughtfully, then refolded it and returned it to her pocket.

"_I've had it for years, and I've only had to sharpen it ten times. It keeps its edge a lot better than newer knives. I don't remember where I got it, though._"

"It doesn't look like a knife used for stabbing someone."

"_I don't think it was ever actually meant for anything specific. I can throw it, cut, and stab with it. The blade is short and heavy enough for throwing, but it's also long enough to be used for other things as well._"

Connor glanced up in the mirror at her.

"An expert on knives, are we?"

"_No, just this one._"

The brothers laughed, and Animal cracked a grin. They sat in companiable silence for another half an hour before Connor spoke up.

"Hey, is anyone else hungry?"

"Starving."

Animal merely growled an affirmative, looking up with interest.

"Craving anything specific, or should we just stop at the first place we see?"

"I don't care. You?" Murphy asked, looking back at Animal. She merely shook her head.

"Then keep an eye on the signs. I think the symbol for food is the fork and knife."

Animal growled an agreement, keeping an eye out the window. Murphy did the same, and he was proud that he spotted one first.

"Exit 41."

"Where the fuck is that?"

"I don't know, we drove by too fast."

"_Two miles ahead._"

"It's a good thing someone pays attention", Connor grumbled, and Murphy scowled.

"Oi, not my fucking fault. You're the one that's driving too fast."

"I'm in the slow lane!"

"You're still driving too fast!"

"Oh, fuck you!"

"Fuck you too!"

In the backseat, Animal merely sighed and continued looking out the window. Sadly, she was getting used to this.

Connor signaled and turned into the exit lane, slowing down to a crawl as he drove into the turn.

"Holy fuck, the turn sharp enough?" Murphy commented, hanging onto the handlebar.

"_Never understood it myself._"

Connor followed the curve for what seemed an eternity before it finally straightened out. The truck seemed to groan with him as the wheels finally straightened. Murphy caught sight of one of the signs.

"Alright, our food options are McDonalds's, KFC, Long John Silver's, or Ponderosa."

"Ponderosa", Connor and Animal said at the same time, and Connor started looking for the restaurant's sign. Spotting it, he manipulated the truck into the driveway, wincing as the tires bounced over the curb. He chose the easiest parking space to get into, far from the door, and parked it.

"Alright kiddies, time to get out."

"_I'm not that young!_" Animal yowled, glaring at him. Murphy laughed.

"You're just barely out of high school, lass. You're young ta' us."

Animal merely growled, looking away, the sun's rays catching her eyes and reflecting off them onto the glass, like a piece of metal in the sun. A shudder ran down Murphy's spine. He didn't think he'd ever get used to her eyes.

Connor opened his door first, and Murphy followed. Sighing, Animal copied them, springing from the truck onto the ground. It was then Murphy noticed how short she was.

"Holy shit, you're fucking short!" he laughed, and she glared at him, growling. Connor came around the front of the vehicle and blinked.

"Shit, you're right. How tall are ya'? Five-two?"

"_Five-six!_" she snarled.

"No way!" Murphy shouted, walking closer to compare their heights. The top of her head was about level with the top of his chest, showing she was right.

Growling, she shoved him away, a surprising amount of strength in her slim body. It was then the brothers fully noticed her for the first time.

She was short, with dark bronze colored hair that gleamed deep red in the sunlight. Her blue eyes were a strange contradiction to her dark hair, yet complimented her pale skin quite well. She was small, limbs thin. Connor estimated she weighed maybe 110 pounds, if that. She was heavily muscled, built for acrobatic close combat. Her muscles were knotted from use, lean and sinuous. She seemed more to be someone who ought to be protected, rather than the mass-murderer she really was. All in all, though, with her build, she was faintly unattractive, with her stringy, muscled limbs, and the scars that ran across her fair skin.

Even without the gash, her face could hardly be colored as pretty, more harsh. Her eyes gave her a cold, calculating look, as if she was plotting to kill you at that moment, even though they knew they could warm with humor. Her teeth were slightly uneven, the teeth on the left side of her mouth slightly longer than the ones on her right side, with the left top canine highly pronounced. It made her smile unsettling.

"_Can we go in now?_"

They were both roused out of their reverie by her scratchy, growling voice. Murphy stood there for a moment longer while Connor said, "Sure."

Giving them odd looks, Animal followed them into the restaurant.

_She was slightly unnerved by their observations earlier. For a moment, they had seemed to look at her as if for the first time, and their reactions weren't promising. She wondered if they were maybe having second thoughts about letting her live._

_Shaking her head, she studied them while they waited in line. They both seemed to be in their thirty's, though they looked well for it. They both had the same dark brown hair and dark eyes. They both had small tattoos on the same spots on both their necks, though she couldn't quite tell what they were, and had Celtic crosses on their arms. Their hands, on opposites on the outside, had the Latin terms 'truth' and 'justice', with 'truth' on Connor's left hand and 'justice' on Murphy's right. She knew a little Latin, enough to be able to read it. She knew from before that Connor had a tattoo of the top part of Jesus on the cross on his back, while Murphy had the feet on his. _

_Even without that, she could tell they were heavily religious, something she most definitely was not. Their prayers had echoed throughout the buildings at night, even though they had tried to remain quiet. She quite liked the sound of them. She might not have been religious, but even she could appreciate the sounds of the prayers in their mouths. Their voices were pleasant to listen to when they were praying, and helped her sleep without nightmares, even though she would never admit it._

_She snapped to attention when she spotted motion from the corner of her eye, and turned her head to it. Her eyes could only see a vague outline, but her nose told her he was a waiter, covered in food smells as he was. His question confirmed it a moment later, when he asked what they would like to order._

_In response to Connor's question, she chose the buffet, looking around them and listening. The conversations around her contained nothing that seemed to be a threat, though a few were talking quietly about the gash on the side of her head. _

_She frowned. She had forgotten about that._

_She turned back to follow Connor and Murphy through the restaurant, stepping carefully and focusing so she would not trip on anything. She was trying as hard as she could to hide her blindness from the brothers, even though she knew Murphy suspected something was up. She could see abnormally well at night, which is why she normally hunted when it was dark, to give herself an enormous advantage over her prey. It was only in daylight that she was blind, a fact that she resented heavily. _

_The brothers sat down at a booth, both occupying one seat, leaving the other to her. She slid onto the smooth leather, and watched them, faces blurry outlines with a few dark spots that suggested eyes. She could feel their gazes on her face, and bristled instinctively. As if sensing her discomfort, they both averted their eyes and started a conversation, which she gladly listened to, speaking only when asked a direct question._

"Are ya' planning on getting your food or not?" Connor asked, wondering why she was merely sitting there. She had been watching them oddly, eyes silently observing them, though thankfully not glowing in the dim light of the restaurant.

"_Waiting_", was all she replied, and Connor snorted.

"What for?"

She didn't answer, instead turning to look around her, eyes snapping at every spot in the restaurant. Mildly, Connor wondered if she had the same vision during the day as she claimed to have at night. Is so, she would be able to see things that any person could be jealous of.

"Oi, wonder when our food's gonna get here", Murphy remarked, and Connor turned to look at him.

"We just got here, and you're already impatient?"

"Oh, shut up."

Animal suddenly stood, apparently done waiting, and made her way to the buffet, the brothers distractedly watching her. About halfway there, she stumbled over the leg of a chair that she should have been able to see easily, and the brothers frowned. Animal turned to look at the chair with a mixed expression of both fear and distaste on her face, and looked back toward their table, though Connor noticed her gaze was off by a few feet. Doubt began to wiggle its way into his mind.

"Did you notice that?" he asked his brother quietly, leaning in slightly to help keep his voice down. Murphy nodded, brow furrowed as he apparently realized the same thing.

"Now that you mention it, when she flipped you, she looked directly at you and didn't seem to recognize you. I was going to say something earlier, but forgot", Murphy responded, also keeping his voice low as he watched Animal make her way through the line. She seemed to be moving slowly, hesitantly.

"Ya' don't think she's hiding something from us, do you?"

"The only way to find out is to ask."

Connor nodded in agreement.

"Let's wait until after we eat, though. She might be more agreeable on a full stomach."

Murphy snorted as Animal made her way back to the table, overly cautious as she walked past the place she had tripped earlier. However, the person sitting there had pushed in the chair, and she made it through without incident.

She sat down at the table and gave them nervous glances, eyes flicking from face to face. When they said nothing, though, she relaxed slightly, and began eating her food, picking up a chicken leg and stripping flesh from the bone with quick efficiency.

The waiter came with their food then, and they both tucked eagerly into their steaks. Healer Animal may be, but cook she was not. The steaks the night before had been edible, but nothing as delicious as the steaks in front of them. It was like comparing bread to cake.

While eating, they kept up a light banter, glancing at Animal every now and then. Slowly, she relaxed, though they realized she still kept quiet, eating quickly and waiting patiently when she was done. Finally, they finished their food.

"Oi, I'm gonna get desert. You guys want anything?" Murphy asked, looking at first his brother and then Animal. Connor wanted ice-cream, while Animal shook her head. Shrugging, Murphy walked off, knowing Connor would begin to question her while he was gone. She seemed to be slightly more at ease with his brother than he.

With Murphy gone, Connor turned to Animal, and noticed she had tensed up again, as if knowing what he was going to ask her.

"Hey, can you read that sign? I can't quite see from here", he said mildly, pointing to a sign across the road. Animal turned her head to look through the glass automatically, though Connor noticed she cringed as she did so.

"… _No_", Animal finally muttered, voice low and defeated.

"Hmm? I thought it seemed easier to read from your side of the table. Can you at least tell me what color it is?" he asked, letting her know he had guessed. She seemed to wilt before his eyes, averting her head and looking at a spot on the table. Suddenly, she seemed very fragile, and Connor regretted what he had to ask of her.

"… _No. I can't tell what color it is._"

"Can you even see it?"

She was silent for a while.

"_No_", she finally sighed, and Connor had to suppress a cringe himself. She sounded helpless, quite different from the Animal they had come to know.

"What exactly can you see?"

She turned her eyes to his face, and Connor noticed her eyes were unfocused, and had turned a dull gray in the dim light.

"_Nothing. Outlines, if they're close enough and I try._"

"I thought you said you could see well", he accused quietly, and Animal again averted her gaze.

"_I only said at night. I never mentioned anything about daytime._"

Connor realized it was true.

"How long were you planning on keeping it from us?"

"_As long as I could._"

"Why?"

Animal jumped and whirled around in her seat at the sound of Murphy's voice behind her, startled. He slid into the seat next to his brother, sliding the ice-cream across to him, keeping his eyes on her face. Connor silently picked up his spoon and began eating, letting his brother have his turn at questioning her.

"_It is the price I pay for my night-vision. I keep it secret. It is easy to use it against me._"

She had responded honestly, they could tell, but it wasn't everything.

"And?" Murphy asked, voice low with sympathy.

"_And I am ashamed of this weakness. As I am ashamed of my fear of cats. It is not something I can help, and it is crippling. If anyone knew of it, it would be easy for them to kill me when I am blind. It is hard to defend yourself against something you cannot see._"

They were silent as Murphy carefully chose his next words.

"We work together, Animal. You need to tell us of your problems, just as we must tell you of ours. We cannot function well if something like that is kept secret. We would not know to cover for you when you cannot see. Just as you would not know that we are helpless when the other is threatened. If someone held a gun to my brother's head, I would let them do whatever they wanted to me. You would not be crippled by that."

"_But I would be useless._"

"No."

Animal looked up at Connor's quiet contradiction.

"No. You would not be useless. People are scared of you, even if they don't believe you are that dangerous. I've experienced that myself. Even if you could buy a few moments, you would not be any more useless than we would be. And even if you were a weakness, your ability to see at night is an even greater asset. Understand?"

She was only silent, and the waiter came by with the bill. Connor accepted it quietly and took out the money to pay for it. As the waiter left to bring him back the change, Animal finally spoke up.

"_Fine. I will tell you things like this from now on. Agreed?_"

"Definitely", the brothers said at the same time, grinning in return. Animal must have heard the smile in their voices, for she smiled slightly in return. The waiter returned, and the three stood up, turning to leave the restaurant.

With a brother on each side of her, they wordlessly guided her out of the building, assisting her without making her feel helpless.

_She should have known they would have figured it out. They were more intelligent than she had given them credit for, and she had not hidden her weakness well enough._

_The only reason she had waited so long to get her food was because she was trying to learn the layout of the building. She could hear people walking to the buffet line, and memorized their paths, until she was sure she had it down. Then that idiot had left his chair out, and she had stumbled over it. It probably wouldn't have taken them long to figure out her secret anyways, but that had made the connection so much faster._

_She had felt weak and helpless under their questioning, even though she knew they were trying to be kind about it. She was private by nature, as she was raised, and admitting a weakness felt like cutting out an organ. It had hurt mentally, but she felt slightly better when she was finished. They hadn't tried to exploit her weakness, now that they knew it, and instead had wordlessly helped her. Their escort out of the building had been useless, though well-meant and meaningful, since she had memorized the path when she walked in. She realized that they would indeed help her, and not suffocate her as if she were a little child._

_It was the first time she had trusted someone in a long time._

_Now sitting in the backseat of the truck she had chosen to play with them, she gazed out the window at the colors racing by, unable to see anything but for once not minding._


	5. Chapter 5

"So, do you know why you can't see in daylight?" Murphy asked, back to driving. He seemed to be able to handle the vehicle better than his brother.

"_My theory is that because my eyes funnel light away from my pupils, not enough reaches them to be able to see. I don't think my eyes are normally like that, since at night I have no trouble seeing._"

"Can you make your eyes not do that?" Connor questioned, facing backward in his seat to look at her.

She snorted.

"_Can you control your heartbeat?_"

He took that to mean a no.

Turning back into his seat, he suppressed a yawn. It was starting to get dark, and they still had about an hour and a half of driving ahead of them. Or at least, Murphy did. Connor grinned, turning his head out the window. His sight was starting to fail in the dimming light, everything becoming a mixture of purples and grays.

"So, how well can you see now?"

She turned her gaze to him, sun coming in at the right angle to flare directly into her eyes. The light reflected off the silver and back into his face, causing him to make a face and turn his head away, blinded by the rays.

"_I can see every hair on your head. I can see each individual bug in the air around us, and see the grass waving as we drive by._"

Murphy coughed.

"Well, I guess it's your turn to lead us around, eh?"

Animal rolled her shining eyes, and turned back to continue looking out the window, feeling drowsy herself. She was used to a nocturnal lifestyle, not being awake during the day. She didn't sleep well at night, since the dark invited nightmares about what she had done.

Feeling her eyes slipping closed, she shifted more comfortably against the door, leaning her head against the cold window and letting the dimming colors guide her to sleep.

_The family stood before her, bodies bloodied and faces hidden. She had slaughtered every one of them, as they had attempted to do themselves the day before. They had believed their success, and were not expecting her return attack. It had been easy to slip into the house unnoticed and assassinate every one of them. _

_One of the bodies turned its faceless head toward her, and she snarled a threat, hand shifting to her pocket where she normally kept her knife. However, her pocket was empty, and she felt a brief surge of panic when she realized she was weaponless against her nightmares._

_The light was bright, and even though awake she would have never been able to see in this light, in her dream she saw colors she had never before known, and saw everything with brilliant clarity. The slashes on each of their necks, a second red mouth drooling red saliva. Bruises on their skin, from when she had pinned them to the ground, screaming in fear. The broken wrist on the young boy. She had had to snap it in order to keep him immobilized. He had woken up before she had finished killing his parents, and she had to kill him. She could leave no witnesses to her first crime._

_Then, joining the four before her, more faceless bodies appeared, the many she had killed over a half decade since her thirst for killing had awakened. After her first kill, she had been unable to stop. She needed to kill._

_The bodies, many and still faceless, began to swarm around her, pressing close. She snarled again, but this time a note of fear crept into the growl, and they heard and grinned. Faces suddenly appeared on the bodies, and they opened their too-wide mouths and began tearing at her flesh, stripping her muscle from the bone as she had done to them._

_Unable to scream, since the dream would not allow her, she could only wait helplessly as her body was torn apart by her nightmares. Before she could fully die, however, something woke her up._

_Without thinking, a reaction to her nightmare, she attacked the person that had roused her by shaking her shoulder._

Murphy sighed at the monotony of driving on the highway, wishing for anything that would provide a little stimulation. In the dark, all he could see were taillights and dark trees on each side of the three-lane highway, and it bored him. The CD's had long since been played out, and the silence was just as bad as the lack of sights. He sighed again.

"Oi, Connor, can ya' at least talk? I'm about to fall asleep here."

"What the fuck am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know! Just say something!"

"Alright, fine!" Connor paused to think for a moment. "So, I wonder how Romeo's doing."

Murphy snorted.

"That's the best you can do?"

"Oh, shut the fuck up, will ya'?"

They sat silently for a bit longer, than Murphy spoke up.

"Romeo's probably fine. Knowing him, he escaped in the ruckus we caused. We just need to find him again, and the easiest way to do that is to get back to Boston."

"So keep driving, eh?" Connor teased lightly, and Murphy stifled a yawn.

"I don't think I can. Come on, we might as well pull over for the night. Help me find a parking lot somewhere."

Connor looked out the window, straining to see before growling and turning around to talk Animal.

"Hey, do ya' think-"

He broke off as he realized she was sleeping, yet again, and her body was twitching convulsively, caught in a dream.

"Oi, Murph, what do ya' think she's dreaming about?"

Murphy looked up in the mirror to watch her twitching limbs.

"Who fucking knows? Probably chasing down some poor homeless man."

Connor studied her.

"No, I don't think so. Looks more like a nightmare to me."

"Just let her sleep through it. She'll probably kill ya' if ya' wake her up."

"Wouldn't doubt that."

He turned away and continued looking for a parking lot they could stay in for the night, and finally spotted another Wal-Mart.

"Christ, those things are fucking all over the place, aren't they?"

"It's like every time you turn around, there's one more."

Murphy pulled in and parked in the back corner of the lot, stretching as he shut the truck off.

"Hey, we forgot blankets, didn't we?"

"Ah, fuck!"

Connor swore and opened his door, getting out before opening Animal's door, watching to make sure she didn't fall out. She merely sagged back against the seat, still twitching as she dreamt.

"Oi, wake up."

She didn't seem to hear him, though one of her hands clenched. He sighed, losing his patience, and reached out to grab her shoulder the moment Murphy came up to watch.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open, catching the light from one of the lamps above them. Snarling ferociously, she lunged at his hand with jaws gaping. Connor yanked his hand back, but her teeth still closed on it fast enough to leave tears in the skin. He yanked his hand free and shouted as he stepped back, glaring at her as she finally woke up all the way.

She seemed confused, licking her lips as if wondering why she tasted blood in her mouth. Her eyes ran over the two of them, Connor standing ten feet away and holding a torn hand, while Murphy had automatically placed himself between his brother and a threat.

"What the fuck was that?" Connor shouted, and Animal turned her glowing gaze to him.

"_What happened?_"

"You fucking attacked my brother!" Murphy shouted, and Animal cringed.

"_I did? I'm sorry. I don't remember doing so._"

Murphy growled and took an intimidating step toward her, but stopped at Connor's uninjured hand on his shoulder. He stood there, seething.

"You're fucking lucky", he snapped before stalking away, Animal's cold eyes on his back, watching him. Looking more confused than ever, she looked at Connor, voicing a questioning growl.

"You were having a nightmare, and I woke you up."

She winced and gave him an apologetic look, which he accepted with a shrug. He knew she hadn't meant it.

She looked around, and it took Connor a moment to remember she could see now that it was dark.

She shot him another questioning look, and he answered her unspoken question.

"We decided to stop for the night. Murphy was having trouble staying awake. Frankly, so was I."

She accepted his answer with a small nod, then sprang lightly from the truck, seeming more awake now than she had all day. Her glowing eyes flicked around, pausing here and there in the darkness.

"Anyways, we were going to go back into the store. We forgot to grab blankets while we were in the last one."

Again she just nodded, looking around into the surrounding trees. Connor was starting to feel vaguely threatened the longer he stayed alone near her.

Unconsciously edging away, he said, "We'll be going in to grab blankets and some food. We'll be back in a bit."

Her eyes suddenly snapped to his face, and animal light hidden in their cold depths. He froze suddenly, alarm ringing through his body. Something cold was creeping over her expression, and she started to look hungry. She shifted her posture, only straightening herself to him, yet there was a hidden threat buried in that motion. He tensed, wondering what had come over her.

"Hey, are ya' coming or not, Connor?"

Connor nearly sighed in relief at the interruption Murphy's shout had brought. Suddenly, Animal dropped her aggressive stance, going back to ignoring him as she looked around into the darkness.

Feeling shaky, he called back, "I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold onto your pants."

He turned to look once more at Animal, unsettled, then walked toward the business of the store, infinitely safer than what the darkness out here contained.

_Animal wasn't quite sure what had come over. Suddenly, tasting blood in her mouth, she had felt that same urge to kill come over her. Coldness had taken over her mind, and she had begun to hunt Connor, even though she knew he was not to be hunted. Luckily, Murphy had yelled, distracting her. If he hadn't, Connor would probably be dead by now. He hadn't thought to bring his gun out of the vehicle with him, while she always carried her knife._

_She sat on the edge of the parking lot holding her knees, staring into the trees. She could see bats flitting about, snatching insects from the air. Everything was bathed in silver light from the lamps behind her, bringing sharp edges to everything._

_A sudden, cramping pain twisted her stomach, and she bit down on her hand to keep from whimpering. She stayed tensed until it passed, then removed her bleeding hand from her mouth, staring at the blood hungrily. She lapped the blood until she caught herself, then snarled softly and turned to face back into the darkness. She needed to kill._

_Soon._

Still feeling unsettled from the intensity of Animal's gaze, Connor walked up to Murphy, who had begun to calm down. Murphy had always been the more impulsive of the two, and often reacted without thinking.

Murphy noticed Connor's silent mood, and asked, "Oi, what the fuck's your problem?"

"Nothin', my brother. Come on, let's just get the blankets and go to bed. If we're lucky, we might be having Mexican for lunch tomorrow and beer for dinner."

Murphy grinned at the thought, then followed his taller brother into the store, looking for blankets. Connor glanced one last time out the glass doors, and followed Murphy into the store, the hairs on the back of his neck still tingling. Something was not right with Animal's mind.

As they exited the brightly lit store, Connor led the way into the farthest reaches of the parking lot, peering into the darkness for the dark vehicle. It was almost impossible to see, and only the gleam of the paint allowed him to find it. They walked up to it, and could hear the sound of a small motor running. Giving each other looks, they walked around to the back of the vehicle, where they saw Animal filling up the air mattresses. One was already completed, and lay cross-ways in the large truck bed.

"Holy shit, on the job, aren't ya'?" Murphy laughed, climbing into the truck bed and walking hunched over to the filled mattress. With an exaggerated sigh, he flopped down, spreading out his limbs to take up as much room as possible.

"I call this one!"

Animal rolled her eyes, shifting her hand to straighten out a corner. Connor caught sight of bite marks on the flesh of her hand.

"What happened to your hand?"

She quickly snatched it away and out of sight, averting her eyes.

"_It's nothing._"

Connor let it go, though he did give her an odd look. She seemed edgy, and twitched at every sound.

"Hey, wait a minute", Murphy called from his bed. "There's only two mattresses. Who gets the other one?"

"We can all fucking share. There's no reason why two and a half fucking people can't fucking fit on two mattresses."

Animal snarled at the remark on her size, and Murphy chortled with glee, impish look on his face.

"Brilliant, Connor."

"I thought so myself", Connor stated, chuckling himself. Animal merely shot them dirty looks and turned away from them, growling softly to herself. Connor began unwrapping the blankets, tossing one to Murphy and putting the other one on the newly-filled mattress.

He then glanced at the sulking Animal.

"Aw, come on, lighten up. It's all in good fun."

"_I know._"

He blinked as she turned back around, heading to the mattress Murphy was currently laying on. Grumbling, he slid over, claiming the middle of the makeshift bed. Connor lay down on the other side of him, and they went to sleep, Animal as far away from the two of them as she could get in the small space, Murphy facing away from her. With their combined body heat, they were comfortably warm, and swiftly fell asleep.

Murphy woke up in the middle of the night at the feeling of something warm laying against his side, uncomfortably close. He groaned.

"C'mon, Connor, stay on your own fucking side of the damned bed", he muttered, turning to glare at his brother. In that instant, he realized the weight pressed against him was too small to be his brother, and he turned to see the back of Animal's head.

She lay still, and only the feel of her ribs against his side told him she was even breathing. If he had given her a glance, he could have thought she was dead, she was so still.

He studied her in the glare of the lamplight. She was small, and seemed even smaller when she slept. In that moment, helped by the fact that he could feel her ribs against his side, he realized that she was not only small, but thin. Maybe that explained why she killed and ate people. She was hungry.

Yawning, he turned his back to her, and fell asleep again, her back against his.

Connor grimaced at the sound of knocking on the glass above him. Yawning and stretching, he sat up, feeling his brother move beside him as well. Bleary-eyed, he peered through the glass to see what appeared to be a security guard.

He pushed open the glass, and blinked at the man in the early dawn light.

"'lo? Can I help you?"

"Would you mind telling me why you're sleeping in the parking lot, sir?" the man asked, and it took Connor a moment to process the question and formulate an answer. In that time, he could hear Animal wake as well, shifting to see what was going on.

"We needed somewhere to stay the night. Is that a problem?"

"No, actually. It's just protocol to make sure nothing's wrong with you. We once had a vehicle sitting in a parking lot for a week before someone realized the owner was dead in the back seat."

Connor made a face.

"Oi, can we please go back to sleep? I'm fucking exhausted", Murphy grumbled, burying his face in the blankets to block out the light. The guard finally noticed Animal in the back.

"Hello, Miss. You are with these two, right?"

Connor turned to look at her, to see if her eyes might be giving her off, and he froze as the same look from the night before found its way onto her face. The lean, hungry look, with a tinge of insanity in her eyes.

She shifted, eyes watching the guard hungrily, and Connor could hear the guard take a step back, as he had done the night before.

He turned to see the guard's reaction, and suddenly Animal launched herself past him through the narrow window, snarling as she attacked the guard. Her teeth unerringly found his throat, and with a quick, savage motion, she jerked her head back, tearing the windpipe from the body.

Dying, the guard dropped to the ground, and Animal stood, blood dripping down her face. She swallowed the bit of flesh in her mouth, then looked at Connor, eyes glowing eerily, though the hungry look was now gone.

"What the fuck was that?" he shouted, flinging himself away from her and stumbling over his brother.

"What?" Murphy yelled, looking up. The attack had been silent, so Murphy had not known what was going on. As he looked, he saw Animal's blood-soaked face, and pushed himself back as well, stricken.

Animal looked sadly at the body on the ground before her, then closed her eyes and knelt out of their sight. They heard a few mumbled words, and she stood back up, into their sight. She looked at them with a blank expression, waiting for their reaction.

"What the FUCK was that?" Connor repeated, wishing desperately for the gun he had left in the cab of the truck, out of his reach.

"_Better he than you_", she finally answered, meeting their gaze, defending her actions.

"What the fuck is that supposed to fucking mean?" Murphy shouted.

"…_It's impossible to explain._"

"Try me", Murphy snarled, and Animal flicked her glowing eyes to his face, narrowing them in irritation.

"_I can't._"

"You fucking bitch", he growled, moving to go attack her, and Animal shifted her weight, preparing to fight him. Her wrist flicked out, and Connor could hear the click of a knife blade.

He grabbed his brother and hauled him back, saving him from certain death at Animal's hands. Murphy struggled against him, but Connor was able to hold him back, keeping a wary eye on Animal. Just when they had started to trust her, she had pulled a stunt like this, contradicting what she normally acted like. But then again, they had only known her for a few days. How could they know how she usually behaved?

"Why the fuck did you kill him?" Connor demanded, forcing his brother down. Murphy struggled under him, giving up when he realized he couldn't get loose and glaring at his brother.

"_I can't tell you._"

"And why the fuck not?"

"_You won't trust me anymore._"

"And you think we fucking trust you now?" Murphy snarled, looking up at her. She shifted her gaze to him, head tilted curiously to the side.

"_No. But this will guarantee it._"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Murphy shouted, frustrated, and Connor had to agree with him. Animal was speaking in circles, evading their questioning. Connor shifted his weight on the air mattress, and heard the click of metal colliding with metal. He glanced down, and his heart soared.

They were no longer cornered and weaponless. Murphy had brought his own guns into the truck.

Sending a prayer of thanks to the Lord, he picked it up, checked the chamber to see if it was loaded, then leveled it at Animal's face. She didn't even appear to notice, though her eyes shifted to lock on him.

"Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't blow your fucking brains out!"

"We should have done that in the first place", Murphy seethed, glaring at his brother and then shifting his glare to Animal. "Back when we first had her cornered in that fucking ally."

"One fucking reason!" Connor demanded again, pulling back the hammer with a deafening click.

"_I can't._"

"Can't fucking what?"

"_I can't give you a reason why you shouldn't kill me._"

Connor gave her an odd look, gun wobbling in his hand. Her eyes met his, and he saw no fear in them, nothing that would show she was scared. Instead, she seemed to be…. playing with them.

Murphy took advantage of his brother's distraction and wrenched himself free, throwing himself across the other mattress and grabbing his other gun, in turn pointing it at the blood-soaked creature before them.

"Down on your knees", he growled, and she merely looked at him.

"_No._"

"I said get down on your knees!"

"_And I said no. If you're going to kill me, shoot me in the head while I stand. I will not die on my knees._"

Murphy snarled and shoved his way out of the vehicle, keeping the gun on Animal's face the whole time. She took a step back, to give him room to exit, and Connor followed his brother, prepared to defend him.

He glanced down at the body of the guard, and was surprised to see the eyes were closed. He had to have died with them open, so why were they closed?

He remembered Animal kneeling out of their sight for a moment, and mumbling to herself.

"What the fuck did you say when you knelt?" he asked, still looking at the body. Murphy flicked a glance down to it, then brought his eyes back up to Animal's face.

"_I was apologizing._"

"For fucking what?" Murphy demanded.

"_That he had to die so that you may live._"

The brothers froze, looking at her. She seemed to truly regret killing him, looking down at the body with faint pain on her face.

"And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

She looked at Connor, meeting his glare with cool eyes.

"_I cannot tell you._"

Connor growled in frustration, leveling the gun on her head once more.

"Tell me, or I will kill you."

To his surprise, she started laughing, though it was a humorless cough that lasted only a few short moments.

"_Either you will kill me now, or someone else will kill me later. Either way, I will die at someone's hands. What difference does it make if it's at yours?_"

Connor suppressed a shudder, then looked at his brother, meeting Murphy's own questioning glance. Meeting a wordless decision, they both growled and slowly released the hammers of their guns, lowering them from Animal's face. She looked at them sharply, and Connor was satisfied to see she was unsettled.

"Give me your knife."

She hesitated for the briefest of moments, uncomfortable, then wordlessly offered the handle to him, blade still in her hand. He reached out and grabbed it, folding it before putting it into his pocket.

"Get back in the truck. Sit in the backseat and STAY THERE until we tell you otherwise."

"_I don't need a knife to kill. If you're trying to disarm me, you might want to tie my hands and feet._"

"We might just fucking do that!" Murphy shouted, and Connor had to pull him back again.

"Just get back in the truck like we told you to do", he repeated, and Animal looked at him carefully before walking by them, opening the back door of the truck and climbing in, shutting it behind her. Murphy turned to Connor furiously, seething.

"Why the fuck are we letting her fucking live? We should fucking kill her!"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Connor shouted back, grabbing Murphy's arms to still his pacing. "Calm down. Now, before you talk-" He held up a finger to silence Murphy before he was interrupted, "I need to say something. I'm not going to trust her until she proves herself trustworthy, which I doubt will ever happen if she keeps this type of fucking thing going on. I'm just going to do what I originally intended to do: just point her in the direction of our targets, and let her go. That way, she draws the bullets, not us."

"What makes you fucking think she'll do that? She'll probably warn them just to make sure we get killed!"

"I don't think she will. She keeps her promises."

"Then why the fuck didn't she tell us why she fucking killed that guard?" Murphy yelled, shout ringing over the abandoned parking lot. Connor glanced around, and was thankful to see the lot was empty.

"I don't know", he finally admitted. "I don't know. But she hasn't hurt us yet, and I'm going to make sure she doesn't. Now, are you with me?"

Murphy stayed silent, refusing to look at his brother.

"Murphy, I need to know if you're with me. I can't do this on my own", Connor said, pleading. Murphy shot him a tired look.

"Of course I'm fucking with you, you fucking idiot. We're brothers, aren't we?"

Connor smiled.

"That we are."

"And brothers stick together until the end."

"Wherever that may be", Connor confirmed, then took a step forward to hug his brother. Murphy accepted the hug for a minute, then pulled away, a mock look of disgust on his face.

"Don't get all fucking emotional on me. Don't forget, we still have to drive another fucking hour with an insane mass-murderer in the back seat."


	6. Chapter 6

_For the first time in many years, Animal was ashamed of who she was. As she sat in the backseat of the truck, Murphy watching her while Connor drove, she stared blankly out the window, letting memories wash over her. Memories from before she had become the Animal she was now._

_Tears slid down her face, unnoticed by her but seen by Murphy. She could remember family. It was fuzzy, but she could remember family. Her mother had always teased her, but it had been a playful teasing. Her father had been ignorant of them, and her parents had finally divorced four years before her first kill. She had two brothers, though she couldn't remember their names._

_She remembered her friends, too. Her friends had been her true family, closer than brothers. She could remember the names of her friends, if she tried hard enough. She didn't try. Her friends were gone now, lost with the life she had left behind._

_Mostly she remembered her dogs. They had always slept with her at night. Maybe they had realized what an Animal she was even before she knew herself. Maybe that was why they had always followed her, obeyed her every command. Maybe they knew that she would become something no better than one of them. Unable to act upon anything else but pure instinct, ruled by continuously changing emotions. Her mind had separated from her body, and become something savage in the process. There was a small part of her that still acted human, though even that, too, was beginning to change._

_If she hadn't decided to walk down the road that night, maybe she would still be at home, arguing with her brothers over what to watch on TV. Maybe her mother would be cooking in the kitchen, wonderful smells wafting through the house. Maybe she would still be sane._

_Or maybe she was always destined to be this way. Maybe it had been decided from the beginning that she would become a killer. She, who had revered all forms of life, to become a destroyer of all that, enemy to anything that breathed._

_She could barely remember anything about the night she had changed. She remembered walking down the road, returning from her grandparents. A car had driven by, and the driver waved. She waved back, not knowing who he was but polite enough to return the gesture. She had heard the car stop and turn around in her neighbor's driveway. She had then turned around, wondering if the driver had wanted directions. Then her memory became cluttered. Flashing lights, squealing tires, and a bright flash of pain before everything went numb. She, who had the photographic memory, couldn't remember what had almost killed her._

_The next thing she remembered after that was doctors holding her down, her screaming and biting at them. There had been a small stab in her arm, then everything went dark again. There was a much longer period of darkness._

_Then she woke up in a bright room, lights painful to her tender eyes. At her cry, the lights were shut off, and voices hovered over. She had had four broken ribs, a snapped leg, and a fractured shoulder. One of the ribs had pierced a lung, and another had almost been driven through her heart. Her skull was cracked in two places. Her pelvis was shattered, and had been replaced. Her spine had almost broken, and the muscles were torn in her lower back. It was a miracle that she lived._

_She had been in that hospital for five weeks. Her friends had visited her everyday, even though she never spoke. She had been so drugged up, she didn't remember how._

_Then they had brought her home, and her whole world changed._

_Animal shook her head, forcing away the memory. Even now, after five years, that memory was still too painful to resolve. The night she had vanished off the face of the Earth, and Animal took over her body._

_She shifted her gaze, looking for anything to distract herself, and saw Murphy's body turned in her direction in his seat, appearing to be watching her. Animal felt a coldness on her cheeks, and lifted her hand to see what was on them. To her surprise, it came away wet, and a sniff told her that tears covered her face. She looked back again toward Murphy's face, and tried to decipher his expression. His face was too blurry to read, but she could tell from his body posture that he was confused._

_He wasn't the only one._

_Feeling unsettled, she turned back out to the window, hearing the brothers' whispers in the background but ignoring them. She didn't care at this moment._

"What the fuck is wrong with her?" Murphy asked his brother, looking at Animal oddly. She had been sitting quietly for the past half hour, staring out the window. Then, suddenly, tears had begun to stream down her face, seemingly unnoticed by her. She had cried for about five minutes before moving, and even then all she did was look at him. She had moved her hand, and seemed startled by her own tears, then went back to look out the window again. It was baffling.

"Why? What is it?" Connor asked, looking up in the overhead mirror to look at her.

"She just suddenly started crying."

"Probably just trying to get us to let our guard down."

Murphy studied Animal, who was ignoring them, still staring out the window.

"I'm not sure."

Connor merely snorted, then turned his attention back to manipulating through the crowded streets of Boston. Unfortunately, they had come from the North side of the city, and now had to circle around slowly to get to the South end. To worsen the trip, they had entered the city precisely at the morning rush hour, and were surrounded by angry drivers and blaring horns. The thick walls of the truck muffled the noise, but not enough. Connor sighed.

"Like blaring your fucking horns is going to make this go any fucking faster", he muttered angrily, shifting forward a few inches closer to the vehicle in front of him. Murphy was still turned around in his seat, gun held in his right hand, watching to make sure Animal didn't do anything she wasn't supposed to.

"Hey, where are we going first?" Murphy asked, turning his gaze to look at his brother.

"Our old apartment. I'm gonna see if we can rent that out again."

Murphy gave him a doubtful look.

"Is that smart?"

"The last thing they're going to expect after we escape from prison is for us to go back home. Besides, it's not like we'll use our real names our anything." He looked up in the mirror at Animal. "Speaking of which, we're going to have to come up with fake names."

"Well, that's easy. You'll be Moron, and I'll be-"

"Oh, shut the fuck up!"

"Well come on, it's a stupid idea! Renting out our old apartment, using fake names? I've had enough of this movie bullshit you like to use!"

"There's nothing wrong with it!"

"Things in the movies never work in real life, you stupid idiot. Now smarten up!"

"Fuck you! And your mother!"

"We have the same mother, you stupid fucking idiot!"

"Fucking shut your mouth!"

"Fuck no-"

Animal snarled loudly, deafening in the small space they were confined in. They both turned to look back at her, startled. Her eyes blazed with anger, face etched in annoyance, and her teeth were bared as she growled quietly, glaring at both of them. Murphy pointed the gun at her face warningly, but turned around and shut up, his brother doing the same.

The truck pulled forward another foot. They were still silent.

Animal growled again.

"Okay, fine, I'm sorry! Happy?" Murphy shouted, turning back to glare at her while Connor yelled, "Alright, I'm sorry!"

Animal made a small snorting sound, leaning back in her seat to continue looking out the window. Murphy turned back around in his own seat.

"What are you, our fucking mother?" he muttered, and cringed when Animal gave an answering growl in the background.

Connor turned to look at him the same instant Murphy turned his own gaze to his brother. Their eyes locked for a moment, then they both burst into laughter, finding the humor in the situation. They heard Animal sigh tiredly in the backseat, but they ignored her in their laughter.

"Seriously, we're not going to use fake names, are we?"

"Alright, alright, we fucking won't. What do you want us to do, then?"

"Why don't we just go rent the apartment and not tell them our names?"

Connor paused.

"Fuck, why didn't I think of that?"

"Because I'm the smarter brother-"

"Oh, shut it!" Connor growled, and Murphy laughed. Animal ignored them both and continued gazing blindly out the window, letting her mind go blank.

Finally, Connor got to the light, and turned swiftly, manipulating the 'tank' through the chain of cars and straightening out on the street somehow without destroying the car next to him. From there, the line of cars moved faster, since they were moving away from the business district of the city.

"Fucking A, finally we're out of that mess."

Connor drove the way into their old neighborhood, looking around with recognition. Here was a place he knew, where he could travel without feeling hopelessly lost. He felt better once he drove into the city, more secure with Animal in the backseat. It was silly, but he had had a feeling that if he came home, everything would be fine. But everything was still the same. Animal was sitting in the backseat, her insane mind thinking God knows what, and they were still escaped convicts, hunting down every last criminal in Boston and then moving on to the rest of the world. Nothing had changed. But he still felt better. A quick glance at Murphy showed he felt the same way, too.

His gaze shifted to Animal in the mirror, and his feelings of elation died. She was staring at him, and even though he knew she couldn't see him, he still felt as though she was looking at his soul. Her cold blue eyes bored a hole into his being, the emotion behind them dead, uncaring. She was judgement herself.

A sudden blaring horn yanked him out of her hypnotizing gaze, and he shook his head as he drove forward. He could feel Murphy's gaze on him, looking at him oddly, but he didn't care. He had seen the same look of captured reverie on his brother's face, and they both knew it was unexplainable. She probably didn't know she did it, but her gaze was like a cobra's, hypnotizing her prey before she struck.

Connor was determined not to be a victim.

_Animal felt lost here. In her five years, she had walked Albany and surrounding cities until she had memorized every twist and turn, every garbage can, every rock. She had wandered the roads until she had memorized them too. That was how she knew Exit 41 had been two miles away from that spot, even though she couldn't see the sign. She knew New York, its people, its moods. Here, though, she was lost, and she doubted she would be able to learn it fast enough before she was hurt or killed._

_She felt the motions of the truck as Connor drove through the streets, but could see nothing but brown and gray out her window. If she squinted, she might be able to make out windows and doors, but it would do her no good if she didn't know WHERE they were. She needed to walk these streets at night, so she could learn the hiding places and the best place to lose pursuers, like she had known her own back alleys._

_Connor suddenly pulled the truck over to the side of the road, and placed it in park. She could see his form turn around to face her, and looked at him curiously, knowing her expression asked a question as well as her voice did._

"_Get out, we're stopping here."_

_She nodded and opened her door, placing her feet carefully on the ground while she exited the vehicle. She could hear Murphy opening his door as well, heard the shuffling of cloth that meant he was hiding his gun, but focused instead on figuring out the layout of where she stood._

_She could see the vague outline of a light tan building in front of her, and a darker spot that could have been either a door or a shadow. More buildings surrounded this one, and it seemed they towered over an alley, if the blur to her right was a dumpster. She could hear voices, all with the same Irish lilt as the brothers, coming from above, apparently through open windows._

_She wondered vaguely where they were, and shot a questioning look in Murphy's direction, but he either ignored her or didn't see her, and she didn't care enough to ask the question out loud._

_Connor started walking in the building, and a nudge at her back from Murphy sent her stumbling forward hesitantly, stepping carefully and trying to not seem as blind. However, a pothole in her way caused her to stumble, almost twisting her ankle, and she heard Murphy sigh angrily as he took her arm in his and led her over the uneven ground. She felt her own face set into an expression of embarrassment, and wished she could see like other people. Even if she could never see at night again, being able to see in daylight would be worth it._

_She felt shade on her face and noticed the light grow darker as she walked in the building, and Murphy released her arm, taking a step back as he did so. She knew they still didn't trust her after she killed that guard, but she would not explain her actions. They didn't need to know how much of an animal she really was, how much she craved murdering. If that guard hadn't come by when he did, she would have either attacked one of the brothers, or had been forced to run off and kill the first person she came across._

_Connor finished talking to a woman sitting on a couch in the center of the room, and walked back over to them._

"_We have the fifth floor apartment. Come on, we'll take the elevator up."_

_She felt Murphy take her arm again to lead her to the elevator, and was glad when he tensed his arm to warn her she should step up. She almost didn't step high enough, and was forced to use him to keep her balance. Animal could feel him flinch as her weight fell on him, and stifled the urge to growl at his foolishness. She wasn't going to kill him in the middle of a building, for Christ's sake!_

_On the elevator, Murphy again let go of her, and she stood still as the elevator began to rise. She wondered just what it would take to gain their trust again, and decided it would just take time. Besides, was she really worth trusting?_

The brothers stared at the mess of the apartment.

"Well, it's nice to know they haven't changed anything since we left."

"They could have at least fixed the fucking toilet, though."

Sighing, they walked into the open room, Murphy leading Animal so she wouldn't trip again. Connor could tell Murphy hated having to do so, but he couldn't really do anything about it. Animal was blind. And, like it or not, she needed help during the day.

Murphy led Animal over to one of the beds and released her, swiftly drawing away from her as well. Connor noticed Animal flinch at the swift rejection, but didn't say anything. Until she told them what was wrong with her, she would continue to be treated like this.

"Well, since we have no toilet, I guess we're going to have to go out to use the bathroom now. C'mon, let's go see if Doc's still around."

Connor watched as Animal sighed and stood up again, heading hesitantly toward the door. Saving his brother from the task, he took her arm himself, leading her toward the elevator again. She turned her sightless gaze up to his face, tilting her head to the side, and sniffed at him. A confused look passed across her face as he stiffened at the odd motion.

She sniffed again, and looked toward Murphy, who was watching her carefully. Then, apparently satisfying her curiosity, she turned back to Connor and resumed her blank expression.

"What the fuck was that about?"

Animal didn't answer, but at least gained some sort of facial expression. Rather than the blank look she had adopted since that morning, she appeared amused, though it was subdued.

"You're not going to answer us, are you?"

"_No._"

"Fucking bitch", Murphy muttered, and they both rolled their eyes when Animal cracked a grin.

Smiling despite himself, Connor led her to the elevator, Murphy following him. Animal jumped slightly when the elevator began grinding and jerked to a start, but looked around her, looking bored. The ancient machine slid slowly past the other floors, and the brothers politely averted their eyes so they wouldn't see what the other tenants were doing. When they reached the ground floor, Connor took Animal's arm again, leading her to the door. Noon light was hitting the streets, and Connor could feel Animal flinch and hiss in pain as she closed her eyes to slits. He looked at her.

"Is the light that painful?"

"_It's like being stabbed in the eyes_", she responded distastefully, shutting her eyes completely and grimacing. Connor gave Murphy a look and led her down the street, steering her carefully around cracks and potholes. She seemed hesitant with every motion, treading lightly and carefully, a concentrated look on her face. It was in this manner they reached a familiar pub by the name of McGinty's, and Connor led her through the door.

"Doc? Ya' here?" Connor called out, unable to keep a smile from his face. Murphy was fidgeting in excitement, looking around eagerly for the familiar shock of white hair and listening intently for the stuttered curses. Animal opened her eyes in the dimmer light, and was looking around the dusky room with avid interest, apparently dark enough for her to see.

"Doc?" Murphy said, looking everywhere. He was starting to feel like something was wrong, and Connor was starting to pick up on it too. Giving each other troubled looks, they led the way deeper into the pub, Animal following them. Even she seemed to think something was wrong, though she only knew that because of their reactions.

"Doc!" Connor shouted, and jumped back when a brown-haired youth peeked around the corner holding a shotgun.

"Who are you?" he asked, and Connor and Murphy looked at him in disbelief.

"Who the fuck are you? Where's Doc?" Murphy asked, looking behind him as if he might see their old friend in the room.

Leveling the shotgun at them, the teen repeated, "I'm only gonna ask this one more time: Who are you?"

Connor and Murphy looked at him carefully now, taking him seriously, and Animal tensed, hyper-aware.

"We're friends of Doc. Can ya' tell us where he is?" Connor said slowly, moving his hands out so the kid could see them. The kid looked startled.

"Ya' don't know? Doc passed away three months ago. I just bought this pub."

Grief crashed on the brothers like silent weights, terrible in its presence. They leaned against each other unconsciously for support, disbelief on their faces. Animal moved closer to their sides, out from behind them, ready to spring if need be.

"Doc's… dead?" Murphy said quietly, shocked. His eyes were unfocused, and his face horror-struck. Connor matched his expression exactly, and his knees trembled as if threatening to buckle underneath him. Animal shot them both worried glances and stepped yet closer, focusing sharply at them.

The kid looked at them sadly.

"You were really close to him, huh?"

Their grief-laden silence answered for them, and the teen shook his head.

"Look, if ya' want to visit his grave, he's buried in the public cemetery. If it makes you feel any better at all, he had a large crowd. It seemed he was popular."

"Everyone loved him. Ya' only had to meet him, and he found his way into your heart", Connor whispered.

"He was a good man", Murphy agreed, still unfocused. Animal exchanged worried glances with the teen.

"I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you", the kid said, appropriately respectful in the presence of two grieving men. Connor looked at him, eyes fuzzy.

"It's okay, it's just….. we never really expected him to die. He was…." Connor trailed off, and he began leaning heavily to the side. Animal growled worriedly and rushed to his side, using her small frame to keep him upright. He seemed thankful for her strong support, and shot her a grateful look.

"Look, I'm sorry for your loss. If ya' need a drink, it's on the house tonight."

"Maybe later", Connor said dazedly. "We need to go pay our respects first."

"Of course. By the way, I'm Adam. If ya' do come in tonight, just tell Ben that I said it was alright. He'll be on duty tonight."

"Thank you", Connor replied, though still distant, and turned to begin walking out the door. Murphy found his side as Animal left it, and they both supported each other as they walked out the door, Animal following closely in case one or the other fell. However, they both were able to stay upright, and stood up straighter as they entered the sunlight.

With deeply grieved looks etched on their faces, they exchanged glances with each other and began walking down the street, heading for the cemetery. Stumbling half-blind behind them, Animal followed, keeping pace as they headed for the cemetery to pay their last respects to a lost friend.

_Animal could feel their grief as a heavy presence on her own shoulders, and wished she could relieve their pain in some way. However, she knew well that only time could heal a wound such as the ones they now bore. No amount of caring could cleanse their hearts of sadness, and only time could erode its sharp edges._

_Animal hissed as she again tripped on an uneven edge in the street, squinting against the glare of the sun as she struggled to follow them. She could tell people were looking at her oddly, but could do nothing about it. The only thing she could do was wait until dark, and not get lost until then._

_A sudden silence opened in front of her, and she could feel the brothers pause a moment. From this, she guessed they were at the cemetery, and sniffed the cleaner air before following the brothers in. She had always loved the smell of trees and grass, having grown in a small town filled with forest and fields. However, the years spent in the cities had dulled her senses somewhat, and she was pleased to see that the skills came back so quickly._

_A sudden sparkle caught her eye, and she stopped, letting Connor and Murphy walk ahead alone. She stood still, staring at the brilliant bronze shine, before pacing cautiously over, struggling to see. Stopping just before the shining object, she knelt before slowly reaching her hand out and brushing the object curiously, trying to figure out what it was._

_Her fingers felt the familiar roughness of a rock, and she chirred softly to herself as she brought it to her face to examine it closely. On one side of the rock, it was a plain, ordinary gray. However, on the other side, where part had broken off, there was a unique metallic sheen, and her fingers felt a grease-like smoothness. It was a beautiful and rare shade of red quartz, all different shades of red, from a pale yellow to a deep crimson._

_Turning it over in her hands, Animal wondered just what it was about this rock that had drawn her attention. She didn't believe in circumstances, and this rock seemed to be some sort of message. The wind blew softly, carrying the brothers' praying voices to her ears, and she turned to look in their direction before again looking at the rock. She thought for a moment, then stood suddenly, walking towards the grieving pair, carrying the rock in her hand._

"And we shall walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and shall fear no Evil-"

The brothers broke off their prayer as Animal walked over, carrying something in her hand, though they couldn't see exactly what it was. She stood in front of the grave of their dear friend and knelt respectively, muttering to herself before placing whatever was in her hands in front of the grave. Murphy caught sight of rough gray stone, and began to protest when her hand shifted it and the sun caught the brilliant stone and reflected its light like a fire.

She kept her fingers lightly pressing against the stone for a moment, then stood and walked off again, leaving as abruptly as she had come. The brothers looked after her, then looked at the rock she had left. It seemed ordinary on the outside, but shone with remarkable brilliance on the inside, a cheerful light that seemed to be a reflection of Doc's soul itself. It sparkled with friendly warmth, and the brothers were comforted for a moment by the essence it appeared to carry. Then, they both looked over to Animal, who was sitting in the shade of a tree dozing, leaning against the trunk. She didn't appear to know what she had done, as if it was a thoughtful but meaningless action to her. Maybe it was.

Connor and Murphy exchanged glances, then bowed their heads once again in prayer. However, they both made sure to include a small thanks for Animal as well, for the gift she had left their friend.


	7. Chapter 7

Connor crossed himself as he finished his prayer, lifting his head and looking at the tombstone of their old friend. Beside him, Murphy was finishing as well, paying his last respects to a man who they had been close to for many years.

"Rest well, Doc", Connor said softly, brushing his hand against the ground where he was buried.

"Yeah, have a nice time in heaven, Fuck Ass", Murphy said lightly, and they both broke into sad laughter at the memory. The sun gave one last flare of light before it finally sank below the horizon, and it flashed off the rock Animal had left, shining with brilliance before fading back into the plain-looking rock it was. Connor smiled again and stood up, looking toward the tree where he had seen Animal many hours before.

In the dim light, he could see her shadowed form leaning against the tree still, body relaxed in sleep. Stars sparkled dimly above her, and the wind softly blew against the grass. Murphy stood up beside him, and followed his gaze.

"I can't figure her out", Connor said, and Murphy only shrugged.

"If she wants to be fucking figured out, she let us figure her out. Until then, all we can do is watch. Now come on, let's go wake her up. We have free beers tonight."

Connor snorted but began walking up the small hill to the willow tree where Animal slept. The rushes moved softly in the slight breeze, producing a soft shushing noise, and birds gave out their last calls before they slept. It was peaceful.

"Oi, wake up", Murphy said, crouching down to watch her carefully. Animal only twitched, still remaining in sleep.

"Come on, wake up. I'm not fucking staying here all night."

Her brow furrowed and she began to stir, though she still moved sleepily.

"Animal, wake up. We're leaving", Connor finally said, and Animal finally opened her eyes, blinking at the world around her.

She looked around in confusion, as if unable to remember where they were, then comprehension slowly spread across her still-sleepy features. She stretched and yawned before rising, then clambered to her feet, still looking tired but now awake. She looked at them, tilting her head to the side in a question.

"C'mon, we're done. We're gonna go back to the pub and drink."

Animal made a face, and Connor looked at her.

"What?"

"_I hate alcohol_", she growled softly, and the brothers looked at her in amazement.

"No one hates alcohol."

"_I do._"

"Well then, something's fucking wrong with your brain", Murphy scoffed, and Animal looked at him, eyes glowing slightly in the dark.

"_You're just realizing that now?_" she grinned, and Connor laughed. Animal may be impossible to figure out, but her mind was wickedly sharp and ruthless when it came to come-backs.

He stopped in his tracks, thoughtful, and Animal and Murphy turned back to look at him oddly.

"What the fuck's the matter with you?"

"Thinking."

"Well then, we're going to be here a while, aren't we?" Murphy drawled, and Animal coughed a laugh.

"Shut the fuck up", Connor retorted, still thinking. A memory ran through his mind, when they were at the rental-place.

He had told Animal she could pick out a vehicle, and she had ran happily into the room to pick out the truck. However, he had said something to her, but he just couldn't remember what he said….

"_It'd better not be gay-looking!_" That was it! He had told her not to pick out a gay-looking car, and she had come back with the biggest and most masculine vehicle she could find in the lot. He now realized it had been a come-back of her own, though physical instead of verbal.

He looked at her and growled.

"You fucking bitch, you picked the truck to get back at me, didn't you?"

Animal's face lit up, and she exploded into hoarse laughter, an expression of pure glee on her face. She chortled happily away, while Murphy looked confused.

"What the fuck are ya' talking about?"

"Remember when she wanted to go pick out a car, and I told her to make sure it wasn't gay-looking? She came back with the biggest truck she could find, remember?"

Comprehension dawned on Murphy's face, and he looked at the still-laughing Animal.

"Fucking bitch, that was a good one."

"I can't believe it took us this long to figure out", Connor muttered, and Animal broke into new waves of laughter, holding her side as she doubled over.

The brothers rolled their eyes and started walking out of the cemetery, and Animal followed a few moments later, still laughing slightly. Murphy began to lead the way out of the cemetery, and cursed a moment later when he stumbled over a clod of dirt in the darkness. Without a word, though a smile was still spread across her features, Animal walked past them, leading them out.

Connor sighed.

"Can't even leave with fucking dignity, can we?" he said to his brother, and could hear Animal break out into even more laughter, chortling happily.

"Oh, shut the fuck up!" Murphy shouted, following her into the street. Animal only silenced her laughs, though the brothers could still see her shoulders shaking as they ventured into the streetlights.

They both growled.

"Fucking bitch."

_Animal sighed yet again at the antics of the two brothers. They had been drinking for almost an hour now, and one could definitely tell. Connor was currently trying to remember the name of some cat he had once shot (to Animal's great approval), and Murphy was flailing around on the table pretending to hold a gun, scattering bottles everywhere. The disgusting reek of alcohol was everywhere, though thankfully they were the only ones in the pub that night._

_She winced as Murphy rolled off the table, landing on the ground with a loud crash. Connor forgot his mission to try to remember the name of the cat, and laughed at his brother, who was pretending to be a whale, according to him, though he looked more like a drunk lying on the floor._

_Animal groaned in misery, burying her face in her arms._

"_Why aren't you drinking too?" she heard from her shoulder, and looked up to see Adam, the person they had met earlier. From his reaction to her eyes, they apparently weren't reflecting anything, so she looked at him fully._

"_I'm worse than they", was all she growled, and hid a smile when he winced. In truth, she had never drunk before, since she normally felt the effects of a hangover long before she got a buzz. Her theory was that the smell gave her a headache, thus discouraging her from drinking anymore. It was probably for the best, Animal thought, looking at the brothers distastefully. If they let themselves go like this when they drunk, who knew what she would do._

"_Oi, Connor, if she was a dog, what kind of dog do you think she would be?" Murphy asked, giggling, and Animal sighed as she looked at him. So far, they had remembered not to call her Animal, but she had a feeling they would soon forget. Out of the corner of her vision, she could see Adam lean against a nearby table and grin in anticipation, and she sighed. The brothers had been comparing her to things all night, from furniture (she was a rocking chair) to birds (a falcon). Yes, she had to admit it was quite amusing, but it was really starting to get on her nerves. How on Earth exactly was she a teacup (tableware)?_

"_I don't know, I'll have to think about that one", Connor said, jabbing a pointed finger in her face. Growling, Animal shoved it away, rolling her eyes as she heard Adam snicker in the background. Honestly?_

"_I was thinkin' a Doberman or somethin' like that, since she's always so foul-tempered", Murphy suggested, grinning lopsidedly. Animal groaned and buried her face in her arms. They. Were. INFURIATING._

"_I don't know, maybe not a Doberman. She's not always in a bad mood."_

_Animal looked up to give him a thankful glance, but froze at the expression that was on his face. Connor was grinning wickedly, and she clamped down on a whine of exasperation that threatened to leave her throat. She began to look around as Connor started speaking again, but his next words caused her mind to go blank._

"_Maybe a Chihuahua, since she's always so helpless."_

_Animal froze, then slowly, furiously turned to face Connor. They. Did. NOT._

_Adam could see that nothing good would come of this, and began to edge quietly away. However, the brothers, in their alcohol-induced stupor, were unable to see the building storm under the surface, and foolishly continued their speech._

"_Hey, you're right! She needs to be led around and everything!" Murphy laughed, and Animal twitched at the remark._

"_I wasn't thinking about that, though that is true. I was thinking that since she's so small, she'd be helpless-"_

_He never got to finish his sentence. While Animal could take many insults in good stride, there were two things she could not and would not tolerate. She could not stand being called small, and being called helpless was the worst offense one could deal to her. Unfortunately, the brothers had called her both of these things in the same sentence._

_Silently, she threw herself at Connor, like a furious lightning bolt followed by thunder a few moments later. Savagely, she knocked him to the ground, flipping his chair over, and held him there a brief moment, and expression of solid rage on her face. He blinked in drunk shock as she snarled seethingly in his face, trembling as she fought the urge to kill him. Murphy, normally quick to defend his brother, stared in surprise at them, Animal pinning his brother to the ground with one hand on his throat and the other holding his right wrist above his head._

There was silence for a few moments, then the thunder arrived as Murphy began to protest.

"Hey, what the fuck-"

Screeching a snarl, Animal lashed her head around to glare at him, and light erupted from a streetlight at that same moment to catch her eyes, reflecting brilliantly off her silvered irises. Her snarling face coupled with her glowing eyes caused Murphy to step back in instinctual fear, and he could hear Adam begin to say something in the background.

Through his alcohol-induced fog, Murphy found a moment's clarity, and he turned to face the bartender, yanking his gun out of hiding in the same motion and pointing it at the teen.

"Don't fucking say a word."

Adam could only nod fearfully and hold his hands up in surrender, starting to shake as realization came over him. The girl he had thought of asking out was really Animal, the murderer of so many people in New York. He had no idea what she was doing here and with the two men, but he knew what she was. He could only guess what the two others were, but as he caught a glance at the tattooed hand holding a gun at him, he suddenly realized. Everyone knew that the Saints had escaped from prison, but they had vanished from the state. Now they were back in Boston, on the same street they had once lived-

Suddenly, Adam felt like throwing up.

Murphy turned his attention back to Animal, who was still pinning his stunned brother to the floor, though her snarls were starting to cease.

"Get the fuck off my brother."

Animal reluctantly yanked herself away, standing angrily a few feet back. Murphy walked forward and helped his brother up.

"What the fuck was that about?" Connor asked in bewilderment, and flinched as Animal growled.

"_I am not helpless or small_", she spat out, glaring at the both of them. Connor and Murphy stared at her.

"That's what you're fucking problem is? It's a fucking joke, you don't need to fucking spaz about it!" Murphy shouted. Animal focused on him, bristling.

"_I am not small, and I am DEFINITELY not helpless!_" she repeated, snarling, and they both flinched this time as a ray of light found her eyes.

"It was a fucking joke!" Murphy screamed, uncomprehending.

"_It was an insult!_" Animal screeched back, hands clenching, wishing desperately for her knife.

"Ya' didn't need to throw a fucking fit!" Connor shouted back, and Animal's eyes locked on him and her muscles tensed. Murphy swung the gun from Adam to her, and she stilled herself, though it was obviously with great effort.

"Um, may I make a suggestion?" Adam asked timidly, and they all turned to glare at him.

"WHAT?" they snarled simultaneously, and he flinched.

"Um, maybe you should just apologize to each other?" he suggested, cringing. They all stared at him.

"That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard."

"_I'm sorry._"

The brothers blinked and looked again at Animal, who was still glaring, though she appeared to be calming down.

"….What?" Connor asked, looking at her oddly.

"_I'm sorry for attacking you_", she said again, looking directly at Connor. Her gaze was expectant, and he looked around uncomfortably.

"Uh, I'm sorry for insulting you", he stated, and blinked in confusion when she seemed to suddenly relax, though her body was still tense. Murphy gave her an odd look, then turned his gaze to Adam.

"Alright, maybe that wasn't such a stupid fucking idea."

"My mother made me apologize for everything when I was younger", the teen confessed, smiling shamefully when Murphy looked thoughtfully confused.

"Okay, now that we've got that settled, what are we going to do about him?" Connor asked, gesturing at the kid, who winced when Animal turned her glowing, curious gaze to him.

"_I can kill him if you need me to_", she volunteered, and they all cringed.

"Let's see if we can come up with another option first, shall we?" Connor suggested, and Animal shrugged

"Um, please don't kill me. I have a goldfish at home, and Flippy needs to be fed twice a day."

"Shut up, I'm thinking", Connor remarked simply, and Adam snapped his mouth shut. Murphy looked at him.

"What's your fish look like?"

"It's one of those solid orange ones. I won him at the fair two years ago."

"I didn't think they had games like that any more."

"_They do in New York. At least, in my county they do._"

"Ever win any there?" Murphy asked Animal, who shrugged.

"_At least three a year. They didn't last long, though. On occasion I had one that lived for more than six months._"

"Geez, what'd you do to the poor things?" Adam questioned, and drew back when her glowing eyes turned to him.

"_Same thing I would do to any animal: fed them, cleaned their cage, and took care of them. Not my fault the stupid things died._"

"Did you bury them or flush them down the toilet?" Murphy queried.

"_Flushed them. I wasn't digging that many holes._"

"Of course", Murphy snorted, while Adam cringed.

"If you're done talking about fish, I thought of something", Connor interrupted, and Murphy rolled his eyes as they all turned to face him.

"Took you fucking long enough."

"Oh, fuck you!"

"Isn't that illegal?" Adam timidly joked, and flinched when Animal suddenly burst into laughter. Connor and Murphy glared at him.

"Maybe we should fucking kill 'em."

Adam paled at the thought while Animal spoke up.

"_I like him. Can we keep him?_"

"He's not a fucking stray cat!"

Animal flinched, and Murphy sighed.

"Okay, sorry for mentioning cats. Even so, he's not some stray animal we found on the side of the road! What if he talks?"

"I promise I won't!"

"Stay out of this", the brothers growled simultaneously, and Animal frowned.

"_Shouldn't he have some say in this?_"

"No", they said in return, and Adam winced.

"There's no way we can trust him. We don't know if he'll talk."

"_I can spy on him. You two need a couple more days to heal anyways_."

"That's not necessary. I promise I won't tell anyone!"

"Stay out of this!" the brothers growled again, and Adam flinched.

"_Wouldn't we need an informant in the city anyways? I used the homeless in Albany. Maybe we can use him here._"

"Now, she has a point", Murphy agreed, turning to his brother.

"That she does. However, we also have Romeo's uncle."

"_Who's Romeo?_"

"If he'll even fucking talk to us again after we put his nephew in jail."

"Well, we'll have to find that out, now won't we?"

"_Again, who's Romeo?_"

"One of our old friends", Murphy finally answered, while Connor looked thoughtful.

"Alright, here's what we'll do: We'll talk to Romeo's uncle, and if he's still on good terms with us, then we'll see about Adam here. Until then, I suppose we can let him live." He turned to Adam. "Now, do you promise to be a good boy and stay quiet?"

"Yes sir!"

"Scout's honor?" Connor asked, and Murphy sniggered in amusement. Adam looked confused.

"Um, yes?"

"Good. Now come on, I need some sleep."

Connor began walking out the door, Murphy following, while Animal rolled her eyes. She glanced one last time at Adam, giving him a silent warning, then left as well, vanishing into the darkness.

Adam sagged against the counter in relief.

"Oh, thank you God."

"Did you see the fucking look on his face?" Murphy laughed, and Connor snorted.

"Course I did! Kid looked like he was going to fucking wet himself!"

"_That was cruel. Funny, but cruel._"

"Oh, and you have any right to talk?" Murphy retorted, and Animal grinned back.

"_Not really. I've done crueler._"

"See?" he pointed out, then yelped when something large and fluttery collided with his face before flying off.

"What the fuck was that?"

"_Brown bat. He was going after a moth by your ear._"

"You could see that?" Connor asked, and Animal shot him a withering look.

"_I thought I already explained all this._"

"Hearing it is one thing, experiencing it is another."

Animal just turned away and continued looking out into the night as they walked back to their loft apartment, breaths fogging in the air. It was cold for a night like this, and the brothers wondered in there would be any heat in the apartment when they got back. Sometimes the heater didn't work, and it was normally miserable those nights.

"Think we should get the blankets out of the truck?"

"Probably. The heater barely warmed the apartment on its best day."

The brothers winced as they heard a squeal come from the basement of their building.

"And somehow I don't think this is a good day for it."

"_What is that?_"

They turned to look at Animal's wincing form.

"That, unfortunately, is our heater. Somehow, I doubt it's going to be very warm tonight."

Animal made a face, and they laughed.

"Don't worry, it doesn't get that cold this time of year. And if it does, we'll give you the most blankets since you're sleeping on the floor."

"_What?_"

The brothers froze, and at least Connor had the decency to look ashamed.

"Well, since neither of us trust you, we're giving you the floor. Besides, you do kinda work for US….."

Animal snorted.

"_You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings, I've lost them a long time ago. But you could have at least warned me before now. I would have found some more blankets._"

"Well, it's a little late now, isn't it?" Murphy remarked brightly, and both Animal and Connor shot him withering glances.

Connor held the door open as Animal and his brother walked in to the elevator, and he pressed the button for their floor. As they slid up, Animal's eyes darted around the rising platform, grimacing at the graffiti scribbled on the walls.

"_Do you know what this says?_"

"Unfortunately, we do."

"We have lived here for a few years."

Animal ignored the remark and yawned as the elevator ground to a halt on their floor, and the grate was lowered. Connor turned on the lights, and Animal winced and slid her eyes shut, grimacing.

"You may be able to see in the dark, but we can't. We need the light."

"_I'll be on the balcony_", was all she said, and the brothers watched as she walked across the room to stand on the precarious balcony.

"Oi, stay out there a while, will ya'? We need to fucking shower."

They got a growl in return, and, shrugging, they took it as a yes. Very little did Animal respond to questions with words.

Connor began yanking off his clothes while Murphy turned on the water, letting it run to warm up. Thankfully, there was hot water, and as Connor walked into the spray Murphy took off his own clothes, wincing as the stitches caught on the fabric.

"Fuck, that hurt!"

"Be more careful then, next time."

"Oh, fuck you!"

"_If the stitches look good tomorrow, I'll take them out._"

"Stay on the fucking balcony!"

"_I am!_"

Connor started laughing, and Murphy gave him the best disgruntled look he could through the water sluicing down his face.

"What?"

"NOW you're shy around women?"

"Fuck you!" Murphy growled, doing a fair impersonation of Animal as he threw a bar of soap at his brother. Connor laughed again as the soap collided with his stomach, bending over in mock pain. Something struck Murphy, and he paused, water running off his skin into the drain.

"Oi, why the fuck has nothing here changed? I mean, the soap's still fucking here and everything. It's been nine fucking years."

Connor snorted.

"Who the fuck would rent an apartment with the toilet broken? Besides, we DID live here. Everyone probably thought we'd come back and shoot them or somethin'."

"I don't know. Something about it seems off to me."

"Stop fucking worrying! It's been nine fucking years since we lived here, we're fine."

Murphy began washing his hair again, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease.

_Animal scented the air as the brothers showered, looking around her with bright eyes. The blue and silver orbs flicked from place, mapping out the area around her. In the night, she could see insects fluttering around lamps, rats scuttling in the garbage, and even, she shuddered despite herself, cats stalking the streets. The air held the metallic bite of approaching snow, and the deep chill sank into her bones. Still, she relished the fresh smell the storm brought with it, tired of the stink of cities. How she wished she could walk her home forests again._

_She sighed and shifted, motion sending a few more flakes of rust down onto the street below. It was stupid staying out on this ancient metal, but she didn't really want to go back into the light and warmth of the brothers' apartment. Besides, Murphy would most likely be angry if she walked in before they were done showering._

_She stilled as she heard a brring sound to her left, and tilted her head to the side in curiosity while searching for the source of the sound. _

_She found it almost instantly. Human eyes, even in daylight, wouldn't be able to see it, but with her eyes at night, she could. There was a small piece of glass imbedded in the metal of the balcony, and as she shifted, she could see there was a lens inside the glass, whirring as it focused in on the apartment. Frowning, Animal looked in as well, noticing as she turned other small lens placed around the room. A small glint in the corner, a flare in a bed post. The entire room was bugged._

_Animal stiffened, looking at the object of the camera's next to hers focus. Its orientation aimed it directly at the brothers, and she could see their muscled, tattooed backs directly in her line of vision._

_Tattooed backs that were instantly recognizable anywhere in the eastern United States._

_The backs of the Saints._


End file.
